UPDATE 4/16/24 1:05 p.m.
On Tuesday, TCAPS Superintendent John R. VanWagoner II, Ph.D., released an update on
“We want to thank you again for your patience in recent weeks. As you may already be aware, we are currently investigating a network disruption that impacted the functionality and access of certain systems. Upon discovery of this incident, we immediately disconnected access to the network and promptly engaged a specialized third-party cybersecurity firm and IT personnel to assist with securing the environment, as well as, to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. Since the forensic investigation remains ongoing, we will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.
“At this time, we are currently investigating whether personally identifiable information was potentially impacted. Should we discover individuals’ personally identifiable information was potentially impacted, we will notify those individuals directly. I would like to again stress that to date, TCAPS has no reports of identity theft or fraud arising out of the incident.
“We are aware that a ransomware group is claiming responsibility for the district’s recent network disruption. Details have been shared with our investigators.
“Again, we’d like to thank all of you for your understanding as we navigate this sensitive situation. We’ll continue to update you with more information along the way.”
4/1/24 5:30 p.m.
TRAVERSE CITY — Cybersecurity attacks have been becoming more preventable across the nation… breaching and exposing data of many victims.
Traverse City Area Public Schools felt victim to one of these attacks… and are now working to restore safety in the classroom…
“You always want to ask right away, you know, what kind of damage or anything might be done, especially to students and staff and families,” said Traverse City Area Public School’s Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner.
TCAPS noticed a network disruption Thursday night.
“They followed that right to a tee and making sure that recognizing that something wasn’t right and that something was causing a disruption that shouldn’t,” said Dr. VanWagoner.
Parents received notice that schools would be shut down April first and second as all systems had to be taken off the Wi-Fi network immediately.
“Everything got shut down at that point, they contacted our insurance company, provided a third party to do a start a forensic audit and look at what systems need to be put in place and look at a possible rebuild of our system,” said Dr. VanWagoner.
“The investigation is ongoing right now. We don’t have any information that shows of any kind of breach of any personal information or anything,” he adds.
But the cause of concern will linger until the investigation is complete.
“The attacker will hold the entity, whether it’s a school or a business, whatever, hostage for a sum of money, and usually has a fairly extensive amount of money,” said Susan Helser CMU Cybersecurity Program Director.
Many parents wondered why students cannot be taught with pencil and paper.
‘It was never about whether, you know, kids had computers in front of it for the school that our teachers do amazing work with Kids without technology, each and every day,” said Dr. VanWagoner.
He says calling school is never an easy decision.
“We know that we have kids that depend on a breakfast and a lunch every day might be the only food they get. We know that families depend on child care to be able to work. We know those things. That was very heavy on my mind,” said Dr. VanWagoner.
He says his staff have been working endlessly to ensure the safety of their students when they return Wednesday.
“Nothing’s foolproof. You know, there’s people that spend millions and millions of dollars and committing cybercrime. And so we’re doing everything we can to stay up to speed with all the latest trends in cybersecurity,´ said Dr. VanWagoner.
No specifics were given as to what systems were breached in the school, and the superintendent says it can take awhile for everything to be looked at as there is over a terabyte of data.
4/1/24 12:30 p.m.
TRAVERSE CITY — TCAPS superintendent Dr. John R. VanWagoner has released a statement saying that classes will be canceled again on Tuesday.
“TCAPs Staff and Families:
“In an effort to protect critical district systems, Traverse City Area Public Schools has decided to cancel classes on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. The extra day will allow our technical team time to complete critical testing of our infrastructure.
“All classes will resume on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
3/31/24 7:50 a.m.
TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City Area Public Schools is canceling classes on Monday, April 1 after the district experienced what they’re calling a “network disruption.” In a statement, TCAPS said:
“We are currently investigating a network disruption that impacted the functionality and access of certain systems. Upon discovery of this incident, TCAPS immediately disconnected access to the network and promptly engaged a specialized third-party cybersecurity firm and IT personnel to assist with securing the environment, as well as, to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. Since the forensic investigation remains ongoing, we will provide additional updates as more information becomes available. We appreciate your patience as we continue to assess this situation.
“As a result, classes will be canceled on Monday, April 1, 2024. The potential that classes will be canceled on Tuesday is unknown at this time, we anticipate communicating that information on Sunday night or Monday morning.
“Protecting the integrity of our systems and the information we maintain is critically important to us. While we already have robust measures in place to protect against these types of incidents, we are committed to taking additional steps to further enhance our safeguards moving forward.”
