Case Study

SCHOOL DISTRICT (PATCHING)

ISSUE: Server Patching Left Vulnerabilities, Illegitimate Access, Data Breach

SOLUTION: UncommonX MDR/XDR with Instant Scans of the Server Environment, Complete Visibility, Proper Policies Development, and 24/7 SOC to Help Monitor Everything.

The Challenge:

• A school district patching Windows servers left an opening on the server when the patching was completed.
• Curious middle school-aged kids found the hole and began downloading social security numbers from the server.
• In all, roughly 2,500 social security numbers were found on the student’s computer.

The Solution:

• UncommonX technology detected that this particular user was not authorized to be downloading data from the server.
• The SOC team immediately contacted security and IT management at the school district.
• Collectively, UncommonX and the school were able to prevent this student from taking the data offsite.

The Results:

• Once the issue was contained, the UncommonX SOC and the client IT team put in place proper policies and protection to grant legitimate access to the servers.
• UncommonX also provided instant scans across the server environment and identified other opportunities to close access to their critical server environment.
• UncommonX and its 24/7 SOC continue to provide comprehensive protection from potential incidents as part of our managed services offering.

Takeaways:

• As in many cases, many organizations have multiple stakeholders, making proper planning and communication essential for creating a safe and secure IT and networked environment.
• A comprehensive solution like UncommonX and its 24/7 SOC provide protection when patching and updates can inadvertently open opportunities for bad actors to access information that could be damaging for a school community.
• UncommonX and its 24/7 SOC provide continued protection from future incidents.

Learn more about MDR for Education