Reports of 2020 spring cyber attack resurface
In May 2020, ETHS was the victim of a cybersecurity attack that caused a fraudulent wire transfer of $48,570 and the breach of over 1,000 Evanston residents’ personal information. Evanston Patch obtained Evanston Police and District 202 records outlining the incident.
The reports indicate that a false vendor invoice was made on April 13, 2020, coming from the email of Alumni relations and senior director of institutional advancement David Futransky. Futransky’s email, reportedly, had been hacked, requesting a fake payment fee of nearly $50,000 for “Detailed analysis of current situation and development for Evanston Township High School”. After paying the invoice on May 29, 2020 it was discovered to be false on June 4, then reported to the Evanston police department.
After this incident, a larger hack was realized. Between March 17, 2020, to June 14, 2020, the personal information of 1,139 Evanston residents was compromised. ETHS hired an outside computer security organization to investigate the breach. ETHS Communications Director Takumi Iseda confirmed in an email to Evanston Patch “that the district met its legal obligation by mailing letter notifications to any individual (or parent/guardian of a minor) whose information may have been compromised in the email breach.”
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