Payroll issues ransomware attack impacts 21 Pinal County school districts

pMenuppPinal County school officials confirmed to ABC15 that their data processing service consortium was attacked over the weekend putting paychecks in jeopardy for some school employees this week throughout the 21 districts in the county ppWhat happenedppAn employee of the Casa Grande Union High School District says staff members were first told of a potential glitch in the system that could impact direct deposit paychecks on Tuesday ppStaff were told paper checks would be issued this week but on Thursday afternoon another email was sent out warning about concerns the county may not reach the deadline to issue paychecks ppIn a statement Pinal County Superintendent Jill Broussard told ABC15 ppThe Pinal County School Office Data Processing Service Consortium was the victim of a ransomware attack this past weekend Our staff has been working diligently around the clock to restore access to the data for our school districts To our knowledge our employee data has not been compromised We will continue to investigate and update the districts Most of the system has been restored and the districts have access as of last night Payrolls that were submitted prior to the attack have been processed as usual We are moving forward with processing the remaining district payrolls with an expected distribution of checks on their regularly scheduled pay dateppPeople need to be on guardppCybercriminals have figured out that by attacking schools its onestop shopping retired FBI Special Agent John Iannarelli told ABC15 They have tons of information they can resell on the dark web They also have money taxpayer dollars that they can use to steal as well ppIannarelli oversaw cyberintelligence investigations and said there is a ransomware attack in the United States every 14 seconds He says the FBI and law enforcement are very skilled at finding the hackers but they are often hard to prosecute since they are overseas ppArizona is not alone Iannarelli said There have been ransomware attacks on school systems around the country for millions of dollars and lots of lots of information The crime is profitable to cybercriminals which means that crime is here to stay People need to be on guardppWhat districts are doing nowppSome districts are working to finalize pay for employees this week during a time in which some schools are entering fall break With the first of the month just around the corner bills rent and mortgage payments are due for manyppIts not just our teachers Its our custodians these are our housekeeping staff this is everyone an employee in the district said I know of a lot of people that live paycheck to paycheck ppOn Thursday evening the Florence Unified School District Issued the following statement to ABC15 ppCurrently the Florence Unified School District is working very closely with leaders and staff in the Pinal County Schools Office  Pinal County Schools has worked around the clock to recover data and last night provided our business office with the access needed to complete our part of the payroll process  The FUSD business office worked through the night and into the morning to complete their portion of the payroll process  Tonight we are waiting for Pinal County Schools to process and print paychecks for our employees  At this time that part of the process is on hold as PCS is still working to restore that level of operation  As soon as we receive notice from Pinal County Schools that our paychecks have been printed we have staff prepared to immediately begin sorting and delivering paychecks to school sites for employees to pick up  We are hopeful that we will be able to begin distributing paychecks to our employees at noon on Friday September 29 ppABC15 learned Friday that the Casa Grande Union High School District superintendent has coordinated with their food service provider and is also working with the Salvation Army to provide food boxes for staff members who need them Additionally district officials say they are working to provide emergency loans with no interest that could be available as soon as Friday afternoon The district also hopes to have letters from the district explaining the payment situation in an effort for financial institutions landlords and creditors to waive any late fees or insufficient funds penaltiesppStill the district is working to get payment to its staff members CGUHSD says As soon as the countys system is up and running live checks will be the quickest method to get staff the money they have earned We will have a team at the district office to pass out paychecks as soon as we get them even if it is over the weekend ppABC15 spoke with Jennifer Kortsen who is with the districtppâIt couldnât have come at a worse time because we have people who are leaving on vacations people are going out of the countryâ said Jennifer Kortsen with CGUHSDppRight as impacted educators and others were starting to rethink their fall break plans Pinal County Superintendent Jill Broussard announced theyâll print over 4500 checks to be given out at the over a dozen districts Those districts include Apache Junction Casa Grande High School Combs Coolidge Florence Maricopa Mary C OBrien Oracle Picacho Sacaton Santa Cruz Stanfield Superior and ToltecppA few hours after the news ABC15 started hearing reports of printing issues with the checkppâWe sent people from the district to Florence to pick up those checksâ said KortsenppGoing forward the Pinal County School Superintendent said theyâre working with Homeland Security and the FBI to investigate how the âdata processing service consortiumâ or the system that processes their payroll was the victim of a ransomware attackppIn a phone call with ABC15 Broussard said about two months of data from some schools has gone missing following the attack but weâre told none of it is personal informationppThe cyberattack may be hard to see but the helping hands were out in the open right awayppâIt makes my heart full anytime there something that happens a tragedy or mishap our community comes togetherâ said KortsenppOn Saturday from 8 am to 11 am Talbert says produce is available for those impacted by the pause in payment at 50881 W Papago Road in Maricopa AZ 85139ppIf you have information about this story or are experiencing problems related to the ransomware attack you can email shareabc15comppReport a typop