The hackers responsible for the cyber attack on the Eindhoven University of Technology have been ‘caught’ red-handed. The university reports this based on the first results of the investigation into the attack.
Most of the network and network-related systems will probably be safe and available again before the end of the weekend. The university’s network was taken offline on Sunday, after it was targeted by a cyber attack. Since then, an investigation has been underway to determine what exactly happened.
Intervene
Now it appears that the university’s digital security system works well. The hackers were allegedly caught red-handed by that system. It is now clear how the hackers entered the system. There are no signs yet that they succeeded in hijacking systems, encrypting documents or stealing data. “Worse was prevented by the decisive intervention of our ICT experts,” reports Patrick Groothuis, vice-president of TU/e.
Extra alert
The university has taken even more security measures and will remain extra alert in the coming period. “We are not going to rush into this. At the same time, there are no one hundred percent guarantees when it comes to digital security, so we will remain extra alert and take immediate measures when necessary.”
Since the cyber attack, no classes have been given. The exam week, which was supposed to start on Monday, has been postponed for a week. TU/e announced on Wednesday that the network will be secure again by the end of the weekend. “During the weekend, the networks will be functionally tested. The plan to restart education on Monday is expected to go ahead.”
Fontys attack
The network of SURF, the ICT collaboration of educational and research institutions in the Netherlands, was also hit by an online attack this Wednesday. It is a DDoS attack. In this case, a network is subjected to so much traffic that it cannot handle it. Students and employees of Fontys are experiencing problems with the wifi on Wednesday, among other things.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez