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HomeNewsClarksville Montgomery County School system "hacking" causes banking scare

Clarksville Montgomery County School system “hacking” causes banking scare

Hank Bonecutter
Hank Bonecutter

Montgomery County, TN – The assault on the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System computers had citizens scrambling to find out if they had been a victim of the vicious cyber attack that occurred over the weekend.

According to Elise Shelton, communications director for the school system, they learned on Sunday that their computers had been “compromised.”  After mobilizing their technical experts, it was determined that over 100,000 names and personal information had been obtained, and posted for the entire world to see.

So what do you do?

Clarksville Online contacted Ron Sleigh, President of Cumberland Bank and Trust, and he said that when his bank first learned of the attack, his bank “put our entire staff on notice for any suspicious activity within the banks computer system.”

“We do have customers who are concerned, but our systems, like most banks, are heavily protected with firewalls and anti-virus programs, and it doesn’t take much to send up a “red flag” if there’s questionable activity in your account.”

Clarksville Online and our news partner WJZM radio contacted several local banks for their reaction to the incident.

Sleigh said, “We recommend that if someone feels as though they have been hacked, they should call the three major credit reporting companies and have a “fraud alert” placed on their account.  Equifax, Transunion, and Experian are the companies responsible for such information.  Just contact your bank and they’ll help you do that.”

Elise Shelton said they are working with the FBI and their cyber-crimes experts and will follow their lead on how the school system will proceed.

“This is a crime, and we will pursue those responsible and prosecute them to the full extent of the law” Shelton said.

For more on the story, see: Hackers gain access to Clarksville Montgomery County School System database and threaten to release information on 14,500 Students and Employees

Hank Bonecutter
Hank Bonecutterhttp://www.clarksvillesmotorcycle.com/
Hank Bonecutter is a retired broadcaster and media consultant based in Clarksville, Tennessee. His career includes stints at WKDA/WKDF and WKQB Rock 106FM, WLAC-AM in Nashville. He concluded his career as owner/talk show host at WJZM-AM in Clarksville. Currently the President of Bonehead Promotions, he's an advertising consultant and media strategist. An avid motorcyclist, Hank blogs about his travels exclusively at www.clarksvillemotorcycle.com and www.clarksvilleonline.com You can follow Hank on on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dodgintheroadkill/, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/?lang=en, and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dodgetheroadkill/?hl=en  
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