The computer system of a South Taranaki school is being held to ransom

Hawera High School has been forced into digital lockdown.

An anonymous hacker is demanding five thousand dollars, before course work is
released.

James Michie reports,

Hawera High's been forced to take its system offline, as Police, Ministry of
Education, NZQA and IT experts try to resolve the issue.

The hack hasn't affected student or staff records.

The move to take down the online system is to remove the risk of further
intrusions.

Hawera High School's been providing Facebook updates since the initial hack
on Monday, but doesn't yet know when the system will be back up.