If you suspect an active attack on your business, call our emergency hotline at: 612-399-9680
If you suspect an active attack on your business, call our emergency hotline at: 612-399-9680
INDUSTRY: education
Ransomware Incident Response for a School District
Service: Emergency Incident Response
24-Hour
On-site incident response
All Servers
Encrypted by the threat actors
650+
District employees
THE STORY
When a school district’s servers suddenly became inaccessible, staff discovered that every ESXi host was encrypted and all on-site data was unreachable. The organization had recently downsized its IT team from four to one, leaving critical vulnerabilities unaddressed—including outdated ESXi hosts exposed to the internet.
The attacker exploited a known vulnerability (CVE-2019-0708), encrypted all servers, and exfiltrated sensitive data. With incomplete backups and a non-functional replication site, the district faced the risk of total data loss and operational shutdown.
Blue Team Alpha mobilized within 24 hours to contain the breach, rebuild the district’s infrastructure, and restore core operations.
Challenges
The district suffered a crippling ransomware attack via outdated, internet-exposed ESXi hosts. With only one IT staff member and unpatched systems, backups failed and the district had limited recovery options.
SOLUTIONS
Blue Team Alpha responded rapidly, rebuilt ESXi hosts, hardened firewall configurations, restored domain functionality, and implemented new security and backup protocols. They also ran a full vulnerability scan and delivered a prioritized roadmap for future cybersecurity resilience.
- Threat Containment & System Rebuild
- Firewall Hardening & Backup Redesign
- Vulnerability Assessment & Risk Roadmap
Benefits & outcomes
1.
RAPID INCIDENT RESPONSE
- On-site response within 24 hours
- Immediate threat hunting and containment
- Deployed incident response tools to secure and monitor the environment
2.
INFRASTRUCTURE REINFORCEMENT
- Rebuilt outdated ESXi hosts with secure configurations
- Hardened perimeter security and firewalls
3.
FUTURE READINESS & RECOVERY
- Implemented secure backup protocols
- Delivered a comprehensive vulnerability assessment and action plan
About Blue Team Alpha
Blue Team Alpha is a veteran-owned, comprehensive cybersecurity force on a mission to secure and defend America’s critical infrastructure.
We offer advisory, offensive and technical services with deep roots and a specialty in incident management.
- Over 50 security certifications
- Talent hand-selected from NSA, CIA, DoD, & more
- Decades of industry experience
- Recover systems 80% faster than average
- Experience in all 16 critical infrastructure sectors
