DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

University of Colorado responds to Accellion breach

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Dissent

California-based Accellion has already released statements about a breach they experienced.  And they have already been hit with at least one lawsuit over the breach. But we are still first learning about how some of their clients were impacted.

Today we learned that the University of Colorado is investigating whether there was any personal, confidential, or sensitive data in files transferred using the compromised system.

On January 12, Accellion issued a press release that said, in part:

Accellion, Inc., provider of the industry’s first enterprise content firewall, today issued a statement about a recently reported security incident regarding one of its legacy products.

In mid-December, Accellion was made aware of a P0 vulnerability in its legacy File Transfer Appliance (FTA) software. Accellion FTA is a 20 year old product that specializes in large file transfers.

Accellion resolved the vulnerability and released a patch within 72 hours to the less than 50 customers affected.

On February 1, Accellion provided an update that claimed that affected customers were “promptly notified of the attack on December 23, 2020.”  That claim conflicts with a statement by the University of Colorado that they were first notified on January 25. The State of Washington also claimed that they were first notified on January 25.

In its update, Accellion also expanded on the attack:

In mid-December, Accellion was made aware of a zero-day vulnerability in its legacy FTA software. Accellion released a fix within 72 hours. This initial incident was the beginning of a concerted cyberattack on the Accellion FTA product that continued into January 2021. Accellion identified additional exploits in the ensuing weeks and rapidly developed and released patches to close each vulnerability. Accellion continues to work closely with FTA customers to mitigate the impact of the attack and to monitor for anomalies.

Accellion’s claims of its prompt notification to clients was also disputed by the Royal Bank of New Zealand, who claims that Accellion kept them in the dark for five crucial days.

In the meantime, University of Colorado is asking all those who transferred files during the critical window to review what is in the files they transferred. CBSN reports:

Officials said the service is used primarily by employees on the Boulder campus to send large files, but some data from the Denver campus was also involved.

The university’s Office of Information Security determined CU Boulder’s service was compromised and files uploaded by 447 CU users were at risk of unauthorized access. These users were notified of the cyberattack on Feb. 1 and asked to report any confidential data within the files.

 

 

Category: Breach IncidentsLost or Missing

Post navigation

← FR: Mutuelle Nationale des Hospitaliers et des professionnels de la santé et du social (MNH) discloses cyberattack
TX: Threat actors dump patient files from Nocona General Hospital →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Rewards for Justice offers $10M reward for info on RedLine developer or RedLine’s use by foreign governments
  • New evidence links long-running hacking group to Indian government
  • Zaporizhzhia Cyber ​​Police Exposes Hacker Who Caused Millions in Losses to Victims by Mining Cryptocurrency
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Google: Hackers target Salesforce accounts in data extortion attacks
  • The US Grid Attack Looming on the Horizon
  • US govt login portal could be one cyberattack away from collapse, say auditors
  • Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Computer Hacking Crimes
  • 100,000 UK taxpayer accounts hit in £47m phishing attack on HMRC
  • CISA Alert: Updated Guidance on Play Ransomware

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • How the FBI Sought a Warrant to Search Instagram of Columbia Student Protesters
  • Germany fines Vodafone $51 million for privacy, security breaches
  • Malaysia enacts data sharing rules for public sector
  • U.S. Enacts Take It Down Act
  • 23andMe Bankruptcy Judge Ponders Trump Bill’s Injunction Impact
  • Hell No: The ODNI Wants to Make it Easier for the Government to Buy Your Data Without Warrant
  • US State Dept. says silence or anonymity on social media is suspicious

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.