Bartow County, Georgia Schools Experience Cyber Incident Leading to Extended Internet Outage
The Bartow County School System in Georgia has been facing a nearly week-long internet outage that began over the weekend of October 12-13, 2024. This outage has affected its 14,000 students and staff. The district confirmed that an unauthorized external attempt to access its information systems triggered the disruption. In response, the school system is working with cybersecurity experts to determine if any sensitive data was compromised. While phone services remain operational, email and online access are still limited, and the district’s website remains down. All school operations, including classes and extracurricular activities, have continued as planned.
Though the exact nature of the attack remains under investigation, the district has not ruled out the possibility of a ransomware attack, a common threat faced by schools and government institutions. Recent attacks in nearby counties, such as those in Fulton and Henry Counties, underscore the potential severity of these incidents. Bartow County officials have promised to notify individuals if any personal data is found to be compromised. In the meantime, efforts to restore full internet functionality are ongoing, with a target of resolution by next week.