Letter to the Hon. Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Mucarsel-Powell Requests FBI Briefing On Cyberattacks On Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Letter

Dear Director Wray,

I write to request an immediate briefing into reports that Miami-Dade County Public Schools systems have been the victim of continuous cyberattacks since August 31, 2020.

Students attending Miami-Dade County public schools began their 2020-2021 school year this week. Due to the nature of the pandemic, children are attending classes virtually and solely relying on internet technology to receive their education. On Monday, August 31, thousands of students and teachers logging on to the County's virtual platform were greeted with error messages that prevented them from accessing the requisite classrooms.1 As a result, classes were halted for over an hour and many teachers were forced to switch to alternate meeting platforms.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho confirmed on Tuesday that the County fell victim to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyberattack. Moreover, as I draft this correspondence on Wednesday, reports are breaking that Miami-Dade County Public Schools is again suffering from continued cyberattacks that are severely disrupting its ability to function.2

I am pleased that the FBI and Secret Service have opened an investigation into the attacks. However, as a representative of Miami-Dade County, I request an immediate briefing regarding the details of the attacks, your investigation, and the steps being taken to prevent further attacks.

We must secure the ability of our students to receive their education, and it is imperative that I remain continuously informed on developments on the manner.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Source