Approximately 800 Americans schools had their websites hacked by a pro-Islamic State group on Monday.
Bloomfield Public School District in New Jersey had their website replaced with an ISIS recruitment video for two hours on Monday. Hosted by the firm SchoolDesk, Bloomfield was one of hundreds of schools that were affected by the hack.
“For about two hours, our web sites displayed an ISIS-sponsored YouTube video. Around 6 a.m., the hacked page was brought down and by about 7 a.m., full functionality and control were restored,” the district wrote in a statement posted on its website.
“The FBI and investigative agencies are looking into the matter. At no time was confidential student or staff data compromised,” the statement continued. “The internal computer and data systems within the district were completely unaffected. Everything that happened occurred at the web host’s companies server farms in Atlanta, Georgia and Florida.”
According to a report from local media, the pro-ISIS group Team System DZ were behind the hack, which also affected schools in Georgia and Alabama, amongst other states. The video that replaced the district’s website included images of Saddam Hussein and included the Arabic quote, “There is no God but God. Muhammad is the prophet of God.”
In a statement published by SchoolDesk, they explained that the hack, which affected approximately 800 schools, was the result of a small file that redirected the sites to the ISIS recruitment video.
“Our technical staff discovered that a small file has been injected into the root of one of the SchoolDesk websites, redirecting approximately 800 school and district websites to iFramed YouTube page containing an audible Arabic message, unknown writing, and a picture of Saddam Hussein,” the statement read.
SchoolDesk says that they are working with the FBI to locate the source of the hack.
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