Cyberattack on University of Copenhagen exposes data of 525,000 people - Help Net Security
The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has ruled out a second cyberattack, saying the activity that led it to shut down several administrative systems on Monday is tied to the breach it disclosed last week, which exposed personal data belonging to some 525,000 people.
The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has ruled out a second cyberattack, saying the activity that led it to shut down several administrative systems on Monday is tied to the breach it disclosed last week, which exposed personal data belonging to some 525,000 people.
On Monday, the university took Workzone, Nimbus and other administrative systems offline in what it called warning that users might have trouble reaching its websites.
At the time, UCPH said it had been hit by a new attack.
Initially, the assessment yesterday was that an entirely new cyberattack had taken place.
However, later in the evening it was determined that this was not a new attack, but rather activity within the system that initially appeared to indicate a new attack, the university said in an update on Tuesday.
UCPH first disclosed the breach on 23 October, confirming that attackers had broken into one of its test environments.
the university said, adding that some of its systems continue to experience disruptions as a result.
It insisted there was no indication the attackers reached systems that support day-to-day operations, and no evidence that its activities had been affected.
Access has been blocked, UCPH said, and staff are working to establish the scope of the incident and prevent similar or further attacks; following a security assessment, UCPH restricted physical access to selected locations on campus on the evening of 23 October.
In an update on 25 October, the university disclosed that the attack had compromised the PIN codes for ID cards belonging to about 20,000 staff members and students, all of whom have since been issued new codes.
What happened
The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has ruled out a second cyberattack, saying the activity that led it to shut down several administrative systems on Monday is tied to the breach it disclosed last week, which exposed personal data belonging to some 525,000 people.
On Monday, the university took Workzone, Nimbus and other administrative systems offline in what it called warning that users might have trouble reaching its websites.
At the time, UCPH said it had been hit by a new attack.
What changed
Initially, the assessment yesterday was that an entirely new cyberattack had taken place.
However, later in the evening it was determined that this was not a new attack, but rather activity within the system that initially appeared to indicate a new attack, the university said in an update on Tuesday.
UCPH first disclosed the breach on 23 October, confirming that attackers had broken into one of its test environments.
Who is affected
the university said, adding that some of its systems continue to experience disruptions as a result.
It insisted there was no indication the attackers reached systems that support day-to-day operations, and no evidence that its activities had been affected.
Why it matters
Access has been blocked, UCPH said, and staff are working to establish the scope of the incident and prevent similar or further attacks; following a security assessment, UCPH restricted physical access to selected locations on campus on the evening of 23 October.
Response
In an update on 25 October, the university disclosed that the attack had compromised the PIN codes for ID cards belonging to about 20,000 staff members and students, all of whom have since been issued new codes.
Attribution
Help Net Security: The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has ruled out a second cyberattack, saying the activity that led it to shut down several administrative systems on Monday is tied to the breach it disclosed last week, which exposed personal data belonging to some 525,000 people.
What to watch next
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