FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – School administrators are investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced the district’s schools and offices to close on Monday, officials said.
Assistant Superintendent Dianne Martello Brethauer, assistant superintendent for Freehold Township Schools said on the social media platform X Sunday night that schools would be closed for the day due to “technical difficulties related to a cybersecurity event.”
School board members had little information beyond what the district said. And they didn’t yet know how long the district would be closed.
School closed:Freehold Township schools closed Monday because of ‘cybersecurity event’
Michael Amoroso, president of the Freehold Township Board of Education, said Monday morning that he had little information beyond the school’s statement and didn’t yet know how long the school would be closed.
“There’s an ongoing investigation,” Amoroso said. “We’ll certainly make an announcement about (Tuesday’s schedule) when the time comes. There’s people working on it throughout the day.”
The school district serves students kindergarten through eighth grade in Freehold Township. It had nearly 3,500 students in the 2021-22 school year at five elementary schools, two middle schools and an early childhood learning center.
Cyberattackers try to gain access to information — bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers — that is kept on organizations’ computer systems, essentially by trying to steal money from other accounts or by collecting a ransom.
They often gain access to the system by convincing users to click on a disguised link.
The attacks aren’t uncommon. CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township about a year ago said it briefly diverted ambulances and alerted some 600,000 customers that their information might have been compromised because of a cyberattack.
CentraState cyberattack:Why are hospitals so vulnerable to hackers?
Educational and research institutions were the most targeted industry in 2022, with nearly 2,300 attacks each week, according to a report by Check Point, a technology company.
Another report by technology company Sophos found 80% of lower education providers had cyberattacks in 2023, up from 44% two years earlier. Nearly all of the schools regained their data in part because 73% reported they had backups. But 47% also said they paid a ransom.
Last March, the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell said it had high confidence that educational institutions worldwide would be attractive targets for cyberattacks.
“Students are spending more time online than ever before, using technology to complete homework, communicate with peers, and engage with teachers and school staff,” the agency said. “As we become more (dependent) on technology, cybercriminals are becoming more advanced and evolving their cyberattacks techniques, and they will continue to target universities and school districts as many of them do not have adequate resources, funding, or staffing to properly protect and defend their networks.”
Analysts said the Freehold Township schools breach is a reminder for organizations to back up their data and train their staff to be aware of tactics used by cyberattackers.
“They don’t just look at a school, they don’t just look at an industry, they go across the board,” said Bruno Tirone, president and chief executive officer of MRA International, a Long Branch-based cybersecurity company.
Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter at the Asbury Park Press who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

source