This post was first made on 12 April 2022
Update 23 May 2022
Now it is School Districts as targets:
K-12 school districts in New Mexico, Ohio crippled by cyberattacks – The Record by Recorded Future
Ransomware attack exposes data of 500,000 Chicago students (bleepingcomputer.com)
Update 20 May 2022
I have run a number of posts looking at the attacks on Universities and Colleges:
A Warning for Universities and Colleges – from the NCSC – Smart Thinking Solutions
BlackCat ransomware tracked to at least 60 victims – Smart Thinking Solutions
Educational institutions around the world suffer ransomware attack – Smart Thinking Solutions
Heriot-Watt University cyber attack – Smart Thinking Solutions (The University our son attended)
With this interesting item just last weekend:
The wrong Lincoln College closes – Smart Thinking Solutions
Now TechRepublic has another look at the problem.
Higher education institutions being targeted for ransomware attacks | TechRepublic
May be it is time all colleges and universities added a compulsory cyber security module for every student – which they have to pass!
Update 28 April 2022
As it is approaching that time of year when reports and dissertations are being finished – if I was a student anywhere, I would be taking my own offline backups, just to be safe. I had offline copies of my work when I was at Edinburgh Napier University,
Another university suffers ransomware:
To quote from the article:
“Ohlone College, Savannah State University, University of Detroit Mercy, Centralia College, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, National University College, North Carolina A&T University, Florida International University, Stratford University are just a few of the US schools attacked with ransomware this year.”
Jonathan Greig
…and Edinburgh Heriot-Watt University.
Original Post
Last month I reported on a ransomware attack against Edinburgh Heriot-Watt University (not Edinburgh Napier University).
Heriot-Watt University cyber attack – Smart Thinking Solutions
Now the BlackCat ransomware gang appears to be deliberately targeting universities:
North Carolina A&T hit with ransomware after ALPHV attack – The Record by Recorded Future
Further Reading
Ransomware gang gives a public “business” interview – Smart Thinking Solutions
