No sector has been spared from ransomware incidents. In this report, we have one from the education sector and one from the government sector. Neither report specifies what type of ransomware or who the threat actors are. And neither one reports how much ransom has been demanded or whether the victim is refusing to pay.
In New York….
Kenneth C. Crowe II reports tha Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is dealing with a malware attack that resulted in the shutdown of much of its computer network right as the university’s students were preparing to go into final examinations for the spring semester. Citing a self-described faculty member posting on Reddit, Crowe reported:
“The RPI faculty have been given no information about this cyberattack beyond that curious unsigned announcement yesterday. We don’t know what happened, how serious the damage was, what is being done, and when we might be back online. We also do not know if this is a widespread problem or unique to RPI,” the comment said.
Read more on timesunion.com.
An announcement on their Twitter account on May 7 simply announced that the school was investigating and that access to the network was suspended. Students who had exams impacted by the disruption were told accommodations would be provided.
An update, posted several hours ago on the same Twitter account, informs students that any exams or papers due on May 10 or 11 are cancelled, and revised grading systems are being developed. Grading modifications will also be developed for exams that had been scheduled for May 7 after 11:00 am. The institute has not yet decided what may happen to exams scheduled for May 12.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma
The City of Tulsa is reportedly experiencing difficulties due to a ransomware incident. Not much detail has been disclosed, but according to a report from KJRH:
According to the statement that was issued, no customer information has been comprised, residents will experience delays in network services.
Read more on kjrh.com.
Reporting by Chum1ng0; additional material and editing by Dissent