Vice Society ransomware leaks University of Duisburg-Essen’s data

[swidup]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/vice-society-ransomware-leaks-university-of-duisburg-essen-s-data/

[swidup]

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-will-never-pay-ransoms-despite-darknet-data-leak

[swidup]

"A leading German university that refused to pay a ransom to hackers has vowed to do the same in future, after attackers leaked stolen data on the darknet.

“As a matter of principle, the University of Duisburg-Essen [UDE] does not respond to digital extortion by criminal organisations,” Barbara Albert, its rector, told Times Higher Education. “Since the UDE has not paid a ransom and will not do so in the future, the attackers have now published stolen data on the darknet.”

The information security website Bleeping Computer said it had reviewed the data leaked by the Vice Society hacker group, which appeared to include backup archives, financial documents, research papers and student spreadsheets. It was not able to confirm their authenticity.

Professor Albert said the November 2022 attack “created a complex situation with regard to the damage caused”, including the encryption of 1,200 virtual servers and takeover of a central system for controlling access.

The scale of the attack means the university has had to reconstruct its IT infrastructure. Raimund Vogl, president of the European University Information Systems Organisation and chief information officer at the University of Münster, said replacement hardware and security consultants could cost around €100,000 (£88,000), but that this would typically be dwarfed by the labour costs of having tens of IT and administrative staff working around the clock on recovery for months."

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-will-never-pay-ransoms-despite-darknet-data-leak