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Woburn, MA, June 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today Kaspersky released a new survey report showing that 55% of parents in the United States have experienced at least one cyberattack against the schools their children were attending. In addition, 72% of the surveyed parents said they support having their child’s school pay the ransom in the event of a ransomware attack, compared to 28% of parents who said their school should never pay. Kaspersky surveyed more than 1,000 parents of school-age children in the U.S. in order to learn, for the first time, about how parents perceive the issue.
According to government data, ransomware attacks on schools doubled to reach 57% of all ransomware incidents in the fall of 2020, up from 28% over the prior spring and summer. Attackers have demanded tens of millions of dollars in many cases, and several schools have paid ransoms in an effort to keep schools open and avoid the misuse of sensitive student data.
The survey found that 29% of parents would want their school to pay more than $100,000, including 5% who would pay more than one million, and another 11% who would pay any amount requested. Other parents would pay smaller amounts, with 43% who would pay varying amounts up to $100,000.
“Given the sensitivity around protecting young students, parents and authorities are unfortunately likely to cave into…
