Adventist Education not immune: Police investigate hacking threat against Pine Forge Academy. Emailer demanded $1 million ransom to prevent cyber attack, police say by Ryan Hughes , Reporter RHughes@wfmz 69 News , follow: @69news, news@wfmz Dec 19 2014 DOUGLASS TWP., Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a $1 million hacking threat against Pine Forge Academy in Berks County. The school received an anonymous email on Dec. 16 at the campus in Douglass Township. It threatened harm against its computer system and property if demands were not met, state police said Friday. This person was contacted by some alumni from Pine Forge Academy to hack into their computer system for $900,000, said Tpr. David Beohm. According to police, the hacker contacted the school and said he or she agreed not to follow through with the attack if Pine Forge handed over $1 million. These are our children and we got all kinds of demented people out there, crazy folks who will not stop at anything, said Kyran John, a parent who picked up his daughter Friday for Christmas break. In the email, the hacker or hackers wrote they worked for Heart of the People and have already taken out 57 other institutions, said police. The hack attack comes after nearly 70 students were forced out of their dorm last month by a two-alarm fire. Now, as students headed home for the holidays, parents wanted to know who was behind the threat. Its very concerning to me, not just for the school, but for any institution or organization period and it has to be stopped, said Ray Baynard, whose son is a senior. Headmistress Nicole Falconer released a statement that read in part, We have no information about why this monetary ransom was made. The school authorities are cooperating with police authorities as they investigate this matter and will keep us posted on any further developments. Falconer also wrote that parents were alerted to the threat. Beohm said the school did not give into the hackers demands and pay the money. The investigation is ongoing. Connect with us... Facebook/69WFMZ or @69News wfmz/news/news-regional-berks/police-investigate-hacking-threat-against-pine-forge-academy/30316272
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 11:17:57 +0000
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