Ransomware group Inc over the weekend claimed responsibility for a June 17, 2024 data breach that forced the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) to restore its systems from backups.
ALSDE has not yet stated how many people are impacted or what information was compromised. A proof pack posted by Inc on the gang’s leak site shows a scan of a driver’s license, among other documents.
The Department has not verified Inc’s claim. Last week’s data breach notification says, “In consultation with law enforcement, we have taken the position not to negotiate with foreign actors and extortioners.”
ALSDE says it was able to stop the attack before hackers could access and encrypt all targeted systems, but attackers were able to access some data and disrupt some services.
We do not yet know how much ransom Inc demanded, how attackers breached ALSDE systems, or what personal data was compromised. Comparitech contacted ALSDE for comment and will update this article if it responds.
Who is Inc?
Inc Ransomware emerged in July 2023 and targets a wide range of victims in healthcare, education, and government. Its methods involve spear phishing and exploiting known vulnerabilities in software.
In 2024, Inc has claimed 20 confirmed ransomware attacks and 77 unconfirmed attacks, according to our data. It claimed 37 confirmed attacks since it first began, plus 107 unconfirmed attacks. To date, Inc has breached at least 1.2 million records.
Ransomware attacks on US education
Comparitech researchers have tracked 46 confirmed ransomware attacks on US schools, colleges, and other education organizations so far this year, affecting more than 50,000 records. In 2023, we recorded 77 such attacks, affecting 719,261 records.
A further 14 attacks against US schools have been claimed by ransomware gangs but not confirmed.
Inc Ransomware previously claimed attacks on Cleveland City Schools (August 2023), the Washington Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Youth (December 2023), the New York School of Interior Design (July 2024), and Rockford Public Schools (May 2024).
About ALSDE
The Alabama State Department of Education serves nearly 750,000 students and 1,500 schools across the state. Its personnel consists of nearly 100,000 people, about half of which are employed as teachers.