STANDISH, Maine — The superintendent of schools for RSU 6, or Bonny Eagle, sent a letter out to employees Wednesday morning, warning them of a Ransomware attack on the district’s payroll server.
In the letter, Superintendent Paul Penna explained they discovered one of the district’s computer networks had recently been hacked by an outside source. The server contained employee payroll information.
He says it is possible certain employee payroll information -- like names, dates of birth, even social security numbers -- were accessed without authorization.
“At this time, we do not know if any such information was accessed, or if it has been, or is likely to be, misused,” Penna said in the letter to employees. “However, in the interests of transparency and keeping you informed, we wanted to inform you about the situation as soon as possible.”
A similar attack was attempted at Sunapee Middle and High School in New Hampshire earlier this year, according to a press release from New Hampshire Senator, Maggie Hasson.
Penna is encouraging those who work in the district to check their bank accounts and other personal information, like credit scores, to make sure their information has not been misused.
“We, in conjunction with legal counsel and other experts, will continue to work hard to secure our computer systems, identify the perpetrator(s) of this attack, understand how the incident occurred, and strengthen the security of our systems to help prevent future incidents,” the letter reads. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this incident causes you.”
RSU 6 is the third largest district in the state, with more than 3,600 students from five towns.
This story will be updated.