While Blackbaud managed to minimise the damage to its systems, the cyber criminals behind the attack managed to steal a subset of data. We focus on cyber attacks on government agencies, defense and high tech companies, or economic crimes with losses of more than a million … This issue is not contained to the UK: at the same time as these breaches, the Louisiana Governor declared a state of emergency as multiple security breaches hit school systems. A cyberattack on the University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network this week negatively impacted systems at multiple hospitals in Vermont and New York, as hospitals across the country are … Higher Education cyber attacks initiated. Universities have received an alert about an increase in cyber attacks Why you can trust Sky News British universities and colleges have been warned about a spike in ransomware attacks … Higher education institutions face unique threats in their data security. University of Strathclyde. British universities and colleges have been warned about a spike in ransomware attacks targeting the education sector by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ. The Denver Post reported new details about the cyberattack Tuesday morning, confirming for the first time the Denver campus’s computer networks were struck by ransomware, leading school … In addition to personal information, universities also hold confidential research data which can be valuable to cyber criminals and state-sponsored actors. Hackers specifically target universities for the sensitive information stored in their systems. The United Kingdom’s cyber-security agency has warned that the universities and colleges are a huge target for cyber terrorism and espionage. Universities under siege in 2015 This year, breaches of Pennsylvania State University and the University of Virginia were blamed on Chinese hackers. Prabakar can discuss what security vulnerabilities within the U.S. network allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent future attacks. The university immediately informed the affected students and reported the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). A target of the … SolarWinds Hackers "Impacting" State and Local Governments. Universities should ensure that all staff and students are aware of basic security hygiene and the mechanics of common threats. Universities across the globe continue to be struck by a spate of cyberattacks despite high profile data breaches making headlines. 17 September 2020 Mark Jones @MJ_TechHQ . The health network confirmed Tuesday that it was ransomware, a type of virus that usually involves a request for money, which caused the attack. The kinds of data and information of interest to a cyber criminal or state-sponsored actor may be: The use of this data varies but will all serve the interests of a cyber criminal. Required fields are marked *. In May of 2020, the cloud computing provider Blackbaud which is a major supplier to Universities across the globe was targeted by a ransomware attack. Cyber attacks Fraud S tudents are at risk of being conned by loan scammers, a report has warned as it says that universities are failing to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Unlike retailers, whose information typically includes credit card numbers and other customer statistics, Cyber criminals will often target multiple organisations using the same methods, looking for one that has a weakness that be exploited. Many senior university leaders and board members are increasingly worried about the rising threat of cyber security attacks. The first deal of cyber criminals in Higher Education was an attack on Yale’s system in 2002 by hackers from Princeton University. “Cyber is so broad that it encompasses far more than the technical aspects,” Forno says. However, with their data rich environments, and the line between financially motivated attacks and state-sponsored attacks becoming more and more blurred, changes must be made. A software supplier used by some of the UK’s biggest universities has confirmed that it suffered a cyber attack in May. Alert issued to universities about spike in cyber attacks Sky News 03:42. University students have been unable to submit work, after the publicly funded academic computer network known as Janet came under cyber-attack. The line between financially motivated attacks and state-sponsored attacks is often a very thin one, and sometimes attacks have dual objectives. Attackers are compromising email accounts from popular universities, including Purdue and Oxford, to launch attacks that get around DMARC and SPF. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/the-cyber-threat-to-universities, University of Stirling Library & IT on facebook, Personal information on staff and students, Technical resources such as documentation and standards, Sensitive research and intellectual property. Universities and colleges warned that spike in cyber attacks could disrupt start of academic year for students Chorley Guardian 11:04. There are multiple reasons for this. Recently, students and staff at Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen in Germany were asked to queue in person for a new email password after their university was subjected to a cyberattack. Cyber attacks on universities can be devastating, with wide-ranging effects for staff and students, data and systems, finances and resource. Hackers likely view schools “as targets of opportunity, and these types of attacks are expected to continue through the 2020/2021 academic year,” the advisory states. Although many universities are buying bitcoins and cyber insurance to pay cybercriminals in case of a ransomware attack. Cyber attacks are one of the biggest threats to schools and universities in the long term; this was the conclusion after a detailed assessment and analysis by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). In 2003, there were several attacks directed on students’ and staff members’ personal information. Are public schools prepared for cyber attacks ? “A lot of … This campaign demonstrates the extent to which cyber attackers are exploiting education institutions - not just targeting their data but also using their authoritative status in society as a means to attack others. Records and ID documents of some Lancaster University students were accessed in the … According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) [1], it is almost certain state-sponsored actors are looking to steal data and information for strategic advantage from universities. So, why are education institutions increasingly becoming a target? Higher Education cyber attacks initiated The first deal of cyber criminals in Higher Education was an attack on Yale’s system in 2002 by hackers from Princeton University. A target of the espionage was information on the admission decisions. A cyber attack at Newcastle University has turned out to be a ransomware infection courtesy of the Doppelpaymer gang. Vital in contributing to the economy, skills and innovation; universities handle large amounts of personal and research data, intellectual property and other assets, all of which has significant value to others. that shouldn’t be their only line of defense. Since the Maastricht attack, Dutch universities have stepped up joint efforts, he said, discussing whether they could collectively monitor their IT networks around the clock, for example. Universities have to consider a very complex and serious threat landscape. University of York. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently published a report compiling cybersecurity-related findings from 430 schools across the UK. The UK’s cybersecurity agency NCSC has issued a warning to universities over the likelihood of cyberattacks as a new term starts. Newcastle University is being held to ransom by cyber criminals in an attack which has been disrupting IT systems since the beginning of the month. In this sphere it has also been observed that nation-state backed hacking groups are utilizing academia as a cover up for malicious campaigns. Looking beyond just financial gain, there are a number of other reasons why cyber attacks are hitting education institutions more frequently. Smart Devices: Using Them Safely in Your Home, [1] https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/the-cyber-threat-to-universities, Your email address will not be published. Among them, the following ones can be mentioned. It’s time academic institutions acknowledge the risk they are under. It only takes one individual to click on a malicious link for attackers to infiltrate university databases in order to get their desired outcome - whatever this may be. Clearly, universities and other higher education institutions must accept that they have become a target for hackers, and take thorough measures to protect themselves, their staff, and their students. This week the National Cyber Security Centre issued its latest alert warning of the threat to disruptive attacks aimed at the education sector, following a spate of attacks on schools, colleges, and universities.. Why Are More People Not Automating Certificate Management? Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) which conducted the survey by examining around 850 attacks in 2017-18 concluded that most of the incidents were conducted by either staff […] Cyber criminals also target universities to commit fraud and monetise any stolen material through sale or ransom. According to the BBC, the attack … Hackers have posted a small sample of files from the gang on a … Chris Ross, Senior Vice President of International Sales at Barracuda Networks, complimented the university for the successful and encouraging protection against all data breaches. “Almost 100% of cyber attacks require human interaction to be successful, and that same human interaction can also bring about failure. University College London, one of the world's leading universities, has been hit by a major cyber-attack. Universities should ensure that all staff and students … One institution said it had faced between 1,000 and 10,000 cyber attacks in the past year, with most traced to Russia, China and other parts of the Far East. This Ransomware effecting education can be stopped by implementing cyber security in public schools & prevent hackers from targetting nation’s schools. NetWalker continued its attacks against higher education when two more colleges were revealed in June to have been victims of the ransomware. University servers blocked 6,804 messages in total due to suspicion of malware and prevented 16,452 phishing attacks from reaching their targets. Universities and colleges are being warned by the UK's cyber-security agency that rising numbers of cyber-attacks are threatening to disrupt the start of term. Cyber attacks on higher education institutions are on the rise across the globe, with multiple, unconnected attacks hitting the headlines in the last couple of weeks. Universities across the UK and North America confirm cyber attack. mark@hybrid.co . According to an alert issued by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) there has been a recent spike in ransomware attacks against UK schools, colleges and universities… The education sector can't catch a break, as the NCSC warns of "reprehensible" cyber attacks in the wake of a ransomware speight. Cyber Attacks on Schools where Schools hit by Ransomware . 2014-2016 Hackers became smarter, Higher Education cyber attacks are more specific. Data from undergraduate applicants for 2019 and 2020 was accessed and student record systems were also breached in the attack. Higher education may not seem like an obvious target for cyber attackers - quite different from the critical national infrastructure or financial institutes that we are used to hearing about, and where hackers’ motivations are more clear cut. Newcastle University were one of the recent victims of a ransomware attack, which impacted services across the whole university. “Universities drive forward a lot of the research and development in the UK. The University of Vermont Medical Center is continuing to recover from the cyber attack late last month that crippled access to electronic records at the Burlington hospital. Higher education institutions are, unfortunately, no exception. Known vulnerabilities should be patched quickly, and comprehensive malware prevention must be implemented. For example, in June we uncovered a phishing campaign with hackers masquerading as members of Cambridge University to gain victims’ trust in order to open malicious documents. Library services that you can access from your home or student accommodation. However, phishing is still the primary way that cyberattacks are carried out. The cyber crime group behind the attack … Academia has faced fresh warnings of cyber-attacks after a rise was recorded in August when students returned. University of Exeter. Firstly, students at Lancaster University fell victim to a phishing attack, with fraudulent invoices sent to a number of students who had applied to join the university. The continued rise of ransomware is one way that universities are falling victim to hackers, particularly in more opportunistic attacks. Student data has been stolen in a “sophisticated and malicious” cyber-attack on a university. Firstly, students at Lancaster University … This was not the first serious cyber security problem for the university, which has repeatedly proven to be vulnerable to cyber attacks. In this case, the campaign took place over LinkedIn, which has proven to be an effective delivery mechanism if a targeted organization is focusing heavily on e-mail defenses to prevent intrusions. It found that 83% had experienced at least one cybersecurity incident, even though 98% of the schools had antivirus solutions and 99% had some sort of firewall protection. For example, often when an account is compromised, attackers use email to penetrate university systems further. Often universities hold sensitive personal information on thousands of staff and students, making them prime targets for attack. NetWalker strikes again. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This timeline records significant cyber incidents since 2006. Colleges and Universities are Prime Cyber Attack Targets Cutting edge research has made Higher Education a prime target. With students logging into the system from cell phones, the least secure form of access , and computers using a variety of operating systems, keeping the software on all these options updated is impossible. Cyber attacks on universities also occur frequently not because the systems lack protections, but because they are so large and complex that implementing those protections becomes difficult. To really defend against cyberattacks, universities need to be putting more basic measures in place. This year was no exception when talking about espionage attacks on universities. 5. Earlier today . Recent cyber attacks Recent cyber attacks prove that even the most sophisticated computer systems—like those of major banks, the government, and top retailers—are not impenetrable. The day-to-day cyber threats facing universities include malicious software (malware), phishing, infrastructure attacks, social networking targeting, and peer-to-peer (P2P) information leakage. Universities may not have dedicated cyber security recourses that organizations of a comparative size might. The University of Stirling employs various methods to detect suspicious activity across our systems; however, our first line of defence is good cyber security awareness among staff and students. The alert follows a speight of ransomware attacks on … This data included phone numbers, donation history and event attendance. “Currently, cyber attacks on African universities are not regarded as serious issues and are bundled up as simple information technology-based problems, which is false. Crucially, universities have extensive databases on thousands of students and staff, which include rich assets that are attractive to cyber attackers - such as personal, financial, and R&D data. For one, cutting edge research takes place in universities, and the theft, manipulation, or destruction of such data is potentially another motivation for hackers. Universities and colleges warned that spike in cyber attacks could disrupt start of academic year for students By Ethan Shone Thursday, 17th September 2020, 10:59 am To reduce the likelihood of these - or any - attacks being successful, good cybersecurity hygiene is required. This is where Geopolitical objectives might come into play. Universities hold and process and a great deal of information that could be exploited if it gets into the wrong hands. Government cyber security experts have told schools, colleges and universities to be on alert following a reported rise in cyber-attacks. “Almost 100% of cyber attacks require human interaction to be successful, and that same human interaction can also bring about failure. September 4, 2020. The targeted employee conversed with ‘Rebecca Watts’, allegedly employed as ‘Research Staff at the University of Cambridge’, who shared a malicious file disguised as a resume form for potential job opportunities - which then transferred malware, which the group are known to use. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued the alert following a recent spike in ransomware attacks on educational institutions blocking access to computer systems. Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting universities with ransomware attacks and academic institutions are being urged to make sure their networks are resilient enough to protect against them. We all have a shared responsibility to exercise caution while carrying out work, basic precautions such as not clicking links from unidentified sources or reporting suspicious emails all help maintain our security. 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