MPS board votes to enhance security against cyberattacks

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Montgomery Public Schools is hoping to fend off future cyberattacks. On Tuesday, the board of education voted to ramp up its security online.

The school board passed an agreement with Viperline Solutions. The security company will now monitor the schools’ data 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It is something MPS does not currently have, and school officials say it should put parents at ease.

“That will help parents be more comfortable that their students will be able to have computer access the entire time that they’re in school,” said Toni Patterson, the MPS director of technology.

The school system says it will immediately start working to get the new system up and running. The system is being paid for through a state grant.

School officials say more and more cyberattacks are happening across the country.

“There’s been an attack, specifically on K-12, trying to gain access to the systems and the data that we have in the system, and it’s because our data is important,” Patterson said.

At the start of the school year, the federal government warned of criminal ransomware groups. In September, NBC news reported at least 26 U.S. school districts were attacked in 2022.

Scammers go after students’ personal information and could also be targeting the banking information of staff members, according to Patterson.

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