Newberg school district continues to deal with apparent cyberattack

Newberg-Dundee Public Schools is dealing with an apparent cyberattack that negatively affected its ability to operate as the school year wrapped up in mid-June.

According to a release from Interim Superintendent Paula Radich, sent out to students and parents of students enrolled in the district, “On (June 12) we became aware of unusual activity within our computer network affecting our phones and computers. We took prompt action to secure our network and engaged cybersecurity experts to investigate. We also contacted relevant local, state and federal authorities.”

Radich added that certain systems and access to some data in the district were compromised and made “temporarily inaccessible.”

“We cannot estimate when full access and services will be restored,” she said at the time, “but we are working hard to ensure our staff can serve the students who are attending summer school from June 18 to 28.”

Indications this week are that staff access to computer and phone systems were impacted for less than a day and are operating properly now.

District officials declined additional comment on the event, including whether it was a ransomware attack and who is investigating, although typically these types of cases are handled by the FBI.

“We cannot comment on an open investigation,” district Communications Director Jillian Daley said in an email Wednesday, June 26.

Radich said the district was determined to learn from the incident.

“Our students are our No. 1 priority and we will remain vigilant to prevent any further disruptions,” she said. “We are already taking steps to protect our data.”

The district required students and staff to change their passwords in reaction to the attack, saying they would lose access to the system if they did not act.