Maastricht University is under a ransomware attack

Maastricht University became the latest victim of ransomware. Hackers hacked and damaged the university’s Windows system on Christmas Eve. The Dutch-based university said in an announcement issued on December 24 that almost all Windows systems were infected with ransomware, and the email system was critical affected.

In a follow-up update released on December 27, the staff at the university are working day and night to recover their system. It also explained that the team has put in the best efforts and hopes to minimize the impact on education, scientific researchers and students. The announcement did not mention the type of ransomware deployed by the hacker, nor was it certain whether the hacker had obtained data access and extracted relevant information before being infected by the ransomware.

The update say:

“Almost all Windows systems have been affected and it is particularly difficult to use e-mail services. UM is currently working on a solution.

Extra security measures have been taken to protect (scientific) data. UM is investigating if the cyber attackers have had access to this data. – UM. In order to work as safely as possible, UM has temporarily taken all of its systems offline. Everything is aimed at giving students and employees access to the systems as soon as possible, possibly in phases.”

Via: bleepingcomputer