Speaking of universities getting hacked, Kelly Heyboer reports that multiple attacks on Rutgers University that have resulted in the university investing seriously in preventing the next attack.
Heyboer reports, in part:
It is unclear if one cyber attacker was responsible for the series of disruptions that knocked Rutgers’ vast computer network offline four times during the 2014-2015 school year. But, school officials said the attacks appeared to be related.
An alleged hacker who goes by the name Exfocus claimed responsibility for the attacks, boasting he or she was paid $500 an hour in Bitcoin by a client with a grudge against Rutgers to disrupt the university’s computer systems.
Exfocus taunted Rutgers officials and students on Reddit, Twitter and other social media sites last spring.
“Honestly, I am sitting here dumbfounded at the amount of incompetence displayed once again by the Rutgers IT department. I’m fairly certain I could run circles around all of you with my eyes closed, and one leg amputated,” Exfocus said in an April 29 post on the website Pastebin.
The hacker also allegedly gave a brief interview to a local tech blogger, who released a transcript of their conversation.
Read more on NJ.com,
Most schools do not have someone allegedly arranging to DDoS them because of some grudge, but at any point in time, any university may be fighting off numerous attacks as well as phishing attempts. Given the wealth of data universities collect and retain on students, investing in data security and training is not only reasonable, but downright necessary.