Wall Twp District Reports Cybersecurity Attack: Board President

WALL, NJ - Ongoing internet connectivity issues at Wall Township Public Schools last week prompted the recent discovery of a cybersecurity attack, marking the latest hardship for the district amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The school district, which currently sees middle and high school students following a hybrid learning schedule (elementary school students are in classes five days a week), is working with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness' cybersecurity division following confirmation from service provider Altice that the school district was the target of a cybersecurity attack.

The district determined on Monday that there was a cybersecurity issue, Wall Township Schools Board of Education President Ralph Addonizio told Patch.

"Two weeks ago this Friday, it was like a widespread internet issue where it affected homeowners, businesses, everybody," Addonizio said. "Monday rolled around and the district was still having a problem. Our tech department was on it, they were in contact with our provider which is Altice/Optimum and at some point, Altice determined that outside people were trying to get in."

According to the board member, the internet connectivity problems experienced last week affected districtwide access to the school's computers. Educators teaching virtual classes from Wall Township school buildings were subsequently instructed to work from home due to the issue.

It was not immediately clear who or what was behind the breach, but Addonizio assures district parents that students' data or personal information is not at risk.

“I’ve heard that there are several other public and private entities that were being affected. I don’t know who they are or where they are. Stuff like this routinely happens across the United States, unfortunately," Addonizio told Patch.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tracy Handerhan has since issued a letter this week alerting district families of the crime. According to a News 12 New Jersey report, the district's firewall has not been penetrated.

“At that point, our firewall and everything was doing exactly what it should do. We took additional steps and upgraded our firewall, not that there was an issue, but just to make it even stronger knowing how important being connected is with everything going on today. What was happening was [the firewall] was doing its job - the internet was cutting out because it was pushing everything aside.”

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