SAN ANTONIO — Judson ISD fought for weeks to restore its phone and email systems after hackers took over. On Tuesday afternoon, district officials confirmed they regained control, though it's unclear if they ended up paying a ransom that was being demanded.
There are reports the district paid the hackers to get service restored, but when the district was asked about it, leaders declined to say whether they did and how much money may have been spent.
”This restoration was achieved through the acceleration of key upgrades to reinforce the security of our systems in preparation for the 2021-22 school year," a press release from Judson ISD officials reads.
Data privacy professionals and law enforcement are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the hack. But at this time, their phone and emails systems are back working again.
A cybersecurity expert says that with technology evolving as fast as it is, these ransomware attacks are starting to happen more often.
An open records request was filed as well as more information from the district about specifics pertaining to this attack.
Once that information is received, an update will be provided.