A slew of ransomware attacks and other cyberthreats have plagued back-to-school plans — as if dealing with the pandemic weren’t stressful enough for administrators. Just this week, attacks in Hartford, Conn. and Clark County, Nev. forced public schools to postpone the first day of school, in what security experts say is a sign of more cyberattacks to come as more students head back to the classroom.

According to a Tuesday public announcement, Hartford’s ransomware attack caused an outage of critical systems, including the school district’s software system that delivers real-time information on bus routes. That led school leaders to delay Tuesday’s first day of classes – a mix of both virtual classes and in-person learning – until Wednesday.

Security researchers point to the incident as a sign that this year, cyberattacks may likely become the new “snow day” – particularly with the advent of pandemic-driven online learning. As students prepare to return to school, whether in-person or virtually, school districts are battling a slew of ransomware, phishing and virtual classroom hijacking attacks.

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