Police Investigate Computer Hack Into Cobb County Schools System

One of Georgia’s largest school systems says a districtwide lockdown earlier this month was triggered by someone hacking its computer system.

The alarm message triggering a “code red” across the 107,000-student district is being investigated as a possible crime, Cobb County school officials announced Wednesday.

District officials say they determined that the signal was intentionally triggered and only affected Cobb County and not other school districts.

The Cobb County Police Department’s Technology Based Crimes Unit is investigating the incident as a cyberattack, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said. The district said it can’t yet disclose who mounted the attack or why.

“We do not yet know the motives of those attacking the district’s AlertPoint system,” the school district said in a statement. “However, it appears the crime was committed to disrupt education across the district, create district-wide chaos, and produce anxiety in the district’s students, parents, and staff. This was not a ‘prank,’ nor will it be treated like one.”