Ridgewood School District in New Jersey Responds to Cyberattack with District-Wide Password Reset
On November 5, 2024, the Ridgewood Public School District in Ridgewood, New Jersey, detected a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access attempts by an external entity. According to Superintendent Mark Schwarz, the district’s cybersecurity systems quickly alerted the IT team, allowing them to respond before any significant breach occurred. Although the attacker managed to view certain directory information, including encrypted password data (password hashes), there was no evidence of access to personal information belonging to students or staff. To maintain security, the district decided on a proactive, district-wide password reset.
Following the incident, Ridgewood school officials have implemented measures to further secure district accounts, with new passwords required for all students and staff. The district is also cooperating with authorities to investigate the breach. Superintendent Schwarz assured the community that the response prevented any disruptions to school operations and that the Ridgewood Public School District will provide further updates as needed.