Maricopa County Community Colleges District

Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) experienced a cybersecurity incident on March 16, 2021, involving a potential ransomware attack. A third-party monitoring vendor detected suspicious activity, prompting MCCCD to take systems offline and engage forensic experts. The investigation determined that a potential ransomware attack was prevented, but an attacker attempted to download a directory file containing names, dates of birth, email addresses, and hashed passwords. No student or HR information (SSNs, financial data) was compromised. MCCCD implemented enhanced security measures, including 24/7 endpoint detection, MFA, and forced password resets.