Cyber Incident Victim: Infinite Campus
Date:
Sep 2018
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Infinite Campus experienced a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that severely disrupted access to its student information management system, with the assault reaching 50 times the volume and 100 times the duration of prior incidents. The attack initially targeted multiple customers and data centers before shifting focus to the company's DNS provider, causing widespread portal inaccessibility for parents and guardians across numerous school districts, though no student data was compromised. Service interruptions impacted institutions like Oklahoma City Public Schools, affecting tens of thousands of users, while Homeland Security and hired security experts investigated the incident's origins.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On September 17, 2018, Infinite Campus, a widely used student information management system serving schools across the United States, experienced a severe Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. This incident marked an escalation in a series of prior attacks against the company, with the latest assault characterized as 50 times larger in volume and 100 times longer in duration than any previous event. The attack initially targeted Infinite Campus’s infrastructure directly, overwhelming systems and rendering the company’s website inaccessible. Parents and guardians reported widespread inability to access student data portals, though Infinite Campus confirmed no data theft or compromise occurred. The disruption impacted multiple customers and data centers, including Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS), which serves approximately 45,000 students. OKCPS notified families that portal access might be limited or entirely blocked due to the attack but reiterated that student data remained secure.
After repelling the initial wave, attackers shifted tactics by targeting Infinite Campus’s DNS provider, extending service disruptions beyond the original attack vector. This strategic pivot prolonged downtime and complicated mitigation efforts. Homeland Security initiated an investigation into the incident, while Infinite Campus engaged external security experts to assist in identifying the perpetrators. The company publicly emphasized the unprecedented scale of the attack but did not speculate on the identity or motives of the threat actors. Nationwide, numerous school districts relying on Infinite Campus faced operational challenges due to the portal’s instability, though functional impacts were confined to accessibility issues rather than data integrity concerns. Authorities continued investigating the source of the campaign as service restoration efforts progressed.