Amid this ongoing pandemic situation, educational organizations are becoming the prime targets for cyber attackers. Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cyber Division has warned the educational institutions about the escalating malicious actions of Pysa ransomware operators.
Pysa Ransomware, also known as Mespinoza Ransomware, is an extremely dangerous file-encrypting virus which is known for encrypting users’ crucial files and data stored on their systems. Victims are demanded to pay a ransom fee in order to get a decryption key, which is supposed to unlock all affected files. Since March 2020, Pysa ransomware has targeted several educational institutions, government entities, private companies, and the healthcare sectors.
According to the FBI’s recent report, the ransomware gang has targeted education institutions in 12 US states and the United Kingdom. The unidentified cyber actors have specifically targeted higher education, K-12 schools, and seminaries. In case of institutions facing any such pysa ransomware attack, FBI has recommended to report the attack as soon as possible. Moreover, the FBI has also advised the educational organizations to arrange for proper security measures to prevent such attacks.
