Nearly one month ago today is when the district first became aware of the issue. Here’s a brief timeline of the events, according to news releases from the district:

Feb. 18: The district notified parents of a “system incident” and began working on tracing the source.
Feb. 21: All impacted data was restored and “no data will be lost due to this incident,” according to the district. Additionally, all passwords were updated and multifactor authentication strategies were implemented.
Feb. 27: The investigation is ongoing; many systems are up and running.
March 1: The source of the disruption was discovered to be an “encryption virus.” The investigation is ongoing and the district refused to pay a ransom. It is not evident whether the threat actor was able to access personal information.
March 7: The district discovered that data was posted online. It was reported to law enforcement and they began working on having it removed.
March 9: The investigation is ongoing; it’s not evident whether the data accessed has been used to commit fraud. Individuals will be contacted directly by MPS if their personal information has been impacted.
March 14: The district advises everyone to continue taking steps to protect themselves online. Despite the circumstance, many systems are functioning normally.
March 17: It became clear that MPS data was posted on the dark web, a part of the internet that allows users to operate without being traced. The district is working closely with cybersecurity specialists to download the data and review it.

James Turgal, vice president of Optiv's Cyber Risk, Strategy and Board Relations and former chief information officer for the FBI, says this is exactly what every district fears.

Instant Insights /

'It is very serious': Minneapolis schools find student and staff data on the dark web

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