Ransomware attack forces Baltimore Co. public schools to close

The Baltimore County public system was affected by a ransomware attack Wednesday, shuttering the system and closing classrooms right before Thanksgiving.

BCPS officials confirmed the attack in a morning tweet.

“BCPS can now confirm we were the victim of a Ransomeware [sic] attack that caused systemic interruption to network information systems.”

The school system said its technology team is “working to address the situation” and warns against using any public school devices.

As of 1:20 p.m., the county school system’s website remained offline.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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