Italian La Sapienza University Systems Offline After Ransomware Attack
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Key Takeaways
- Significant Disruption: A cyberattack has taken La Sapienza University in Rome's computer systems offline for multiple days, affecting its student population.
- Alleged Attack: The incident is reportedly a ransomware attack orchestrated by a previously unknown group, "Femwar02," which deployed the BabLock malware.
- Precautionary Measures: The university took its systems offline and is working to restore services from backups, which were reportedly unaffected.
The computer systems of La Sapienza University in Rome, one of Europe's largest universities, have been non-operational for a few days following a significant cyber incident. The university confirmed on Tuesday that it took its systems offline as a precaution after detecting an attack. Italy's national cybersecurity agency, ACN, is investigating the breach
Ransomware Attack Implicated in University Disruption
While the university has not officially confirmed the nature of the attack, Italian media outlets report that it was a ransomware attack. A previously unknown threat actor group, calling itself "Femwar02," has been linked to the incident.Â
The actor behind the track may be linked to Russia, as the malware appears not to encrypt victims' data when it's written in Russian, Il Corriere reported.Â
This group allegedly used the BabLock malware, also known as Rorschach, to encrypt the university's systems. Reports indicate that the attackers sent a ransom demand with a 72-hour countdown.Â
The La Sapienza cyberattack has rendered the main website inaccessible and partially disrupted services such as email and workstations, causing substantial disruption for its large student and faculty population.
Cybersecurity in Education Under Scrutiny
The attack on La Sapienza underscores persistent cybersecurity vulnerabilities in education. In response, La Sapienza has assured students that exams will proceed and has established physical "infopoints" to provide necessary information.Â
The institution stated it is working to restore all digital services from backups, which it claims were not compromised during the attack.Â
This event serves as a critical reminder for educational institutions globally to reinforce their security posture against sophisticated cyber threats. ShinyHunters recently alleged that it breached Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, stealing over 1 million records from each.
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