Published March 09, 2022

Calcasieu Parish School Board Releases Statement on Recent Cyber Fraud Incident

On March 9, 2022, the Calcasieu Parish School Board reported a cyber fraud incident involving school board computers. In a release, the school board indicated that the cyber fraud was a result of the compromise of emails of several hurricane-related contractors. They also indicated that this is a monetary incident and does not involve student or employee data.

Full statement from CPSB on cyber fraud incident:

“March 9, 2022

Because we at the Calcasieu Parish School Board believe in full honesty and transparency, we want to make stakeholders aware of a cyber fraud incident involving our district.

Over the last few months, the Calcasieu Parish School Board has been the victim of cyber fraud as a result of the compromise of emails of several hurricane-related contractors. This is a monetary incident and does not involve student or employee data. This is a serious matter that requires our full attention, and we are leaving no stone unturned. Upon learning of the incident, we immediately launched an internal investigation and contacted the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The criminal investigation is ongoing and will likely continue for an extended period of time. Because of this, we are unable to provide additional information at this time. However, as soon as we are able to provide additional details, we will do so. We have an incredible relationship with local law enforcement and are working with them to properly pass this into their capable hands for all legal proceedings. We have also made notification to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office, CPSB’s external auditing firm, and the CPSB Cyber-Crime Insurance Carrier.

The internal investigation is still ongoing, and our review of all digital safety and security measures is still underway. That said, modifications will be made as necessary to our internal practices and the district plans to continue internal staff training in addition to what has been provided in the past or normal, ongoing training.

Unfortunately, cyber security is an incredibly common concern across all industries, and we are gaining valuable insight through this experience that we are using to immediately harden our digital walls.”

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