Last week it was reported that a number of schools in the United Kingdom were being attacked by fraudsters who were demanding payments of up to £8,000 to unlock data that they encrypted using malware.

Apparently, the cyber attackers were calling schools and claiming to be from the Education Department. They asked for the Head Teachers' emails and once they got the information they sent malware in attached documents. The documents they sent were in different form varying from exam guidance forms to mental health assessments. 

Due to these attacks, the police in the United Kingdom have issued a warning to all educational institutions.

According to security experts, ransomware was very popular during last year. In fact, in the third quarter a ransomware infection occurred every 30 seconds and a rise of infections that amounted to more than a quarter was reported in the first three months of the year.

Security consultant Graham Cluley has told BBC that this shows that a considerable amount of money is being made by criminals through these attacks. He said that it is for this reason that they are making such an effort by making fake phone calls to raise the possibility of their attachments being opened. While encouraging schools to be cautious, Cluley also urged them to back up critical data regularly.