Baltimore County Public Schools’ Ransomware Recovery Tops $8M

Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) has reportedly spent more than $8.1 million recovering from a ransomware attack that targeted the district last November, new reports state.

The price tag was revealed in a spreadsheet provided by local TV news station Fox 45 Baltimore that is dated May 14, 2021, and groups recovery costs into three categories: “Initial Emergency Recovery Costs” include ransomware negotiation services, forensic investigation and triage, data recovery consulting, legal services, Windows security software, and public relations. “Larger Recovery Costs” include items such as ERP cloud transition/recovery, which cost more than $2 million, along with student information system, tape library recovery, and student information system. “Smaller Recovery Cost Estimates” include internal audit software, multifactor authentication, network monitoring tools, weekend school security, CCTV software, and device monitoring and tracking.

The total bill, which exceeds $8.1 million, meets the predictions of the school system’s director for fiscal services, George Sarris, who last month projected the final cost of the attack would top $8 million. At the time, the county’s school officials estimated the attack would cost $7.7 million.

BCPS has said no personal data was taken in the attack. Its spreadsheet does not include mention of a ransom payment.

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