[외신] Cyber criminals threaten to disclose Michigan State University' students data, and demand the ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency

[외신] Cyber criminals threaten to disclose Michigan State University' students data, and demand the ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency

 

 

Michigan State University, or MSU in early was attacked by a ransomware gang Netwalker.

Netwalker threatened to disclose students’ records and financial documents and requested the ransom to be paid in crypto.

Officials at MSU declared that they will not pay the ransom without disclosing the reason behind their decision.

The attackers were able to shut down the university's computer systems and compromise data mostly from the  Department of Physics and Astronomy.

The local police has intervened providing technical assistance and working hand in hand with federal officials.

The hackers also showed proof of the documents they accessed. 

The actors are generally sophisticated and have a good deal of insight into how corporate networks operate. 

Universities are also generally more vulnerable as there is also often little budget for security, meaning attackers have lots of opportunity to gain access.

Unfortunately for MSU, paying the ransom doesn't guarantee that the hackers will not eventually sell those data on underground forums. 

In other cases, like city officials of Florence, Alabama decided to pay a ransom of nearly $300,000 worth in Bitcoin (BTC). 

 

 

[GEN News -Editor ]

Ms. Camellia Sodki