In the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Onslow County Schools detected unauthorized criminal activity within our technology infrastructure. Upon confirmation, district technology staff immediately began taking protective action and notified law enforcement and state cybersecurity authorities.

This was a criminal act carried out by a sophisticated threat actor — not a failure caused by OCS staff, students, or any member of our community. OCS was not singled out. This group has conducted similar attacks against schools, hospitals, and government agencies across the country and around the world. The education sector has seen a dramatic and well-documented rise in this type of criminal activity in recent years, and OCS, like many districts, became a victim of these bad actors.

It is clear that the swift actions of our IT staff significantly limited both the amount of time the attackers were in our system and the extent of the potential damage. We believe that a relatively small portion of our overall data was exfiltrated, meaning it was copied or taken from our network. While we cannot rule out the possibility that personal student or staff information was accessed, the activity we have been able to trace appears to have been concentrated in areas not associated with sensitive personal data.

The criminal activity has impacted our core technology infrastructure — including servers, network systems, and a wide range of digital services used daily across our 42+ school sites. The disruption is broad and has touched systems used by staff, students, and the district's administrative operations.

Those claiming responsibility for this cyberattack are known for using financial extortion tactics. While we have no indication that any outreach to others outside OCS leadership will occur, there has been a growing trend in similar cases for cybercriminals to attempt to contact staff, families, or other community members in an effort to increase pressure on school districts or organizations when financial extortion attempts have not been successful.

From the moment the attack was detected, OCS technology staff acted quickly to protect our systems and engaged local, state, and federal partners. Our response has been a true team effort, and significant work has already been accomplished.

We understand that disruptions to technology affect every part of our school community — teachers, students, and families alike. We are committed to keeping you informed as our response progresses.

Further updates will be released consistent with guidance from the law enforcement and cybersecurity authorities directing the investigation. We appreciate your patience as we follow that guidance carefully, to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

This page will remain active and will be updated as new information is cleared for public release. Bookmark it and check back regularly.

Regardless of this incident, it is always important to make use of available resources to protect your personal, educational, financial, and medical information, including sensitive data such as your Social Security number. These resources include credit monitoring services and protections available through the IRS. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant by regularly reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports.