Dive Brief:
- An anonymous university once had 5,000 network-connected devices hacked, and is now one of the primary case studies on IT infrastructure and system vulnerability for higher education.
- Campus Technology profiles the network breach, and details how a botnet invasion slowed network speed and connectivity by routing devices to look up a specific DNS at regular intervals.
- Officials reversed the breach by forcing users with weak or compromised passwords to create new ones ahead of a second wave of attacks.
Dive Insight:
Attacks on campus networks are becoming more of an unfortunate reality for institutions across the country, and with significant cuts being made at public and private colleges, the chances that these institutions might be able to afford personnel or systems to effectively counter all attacks remain slim.
Through fundraising or legislative lobbying campus leaders must communicate the urgency of funding a strong IT response and maintenance team. Without it, the personal data of thousands of students is at imminent risk, and could be a source of public contention and litigation if schools do not take the necessary precautions to preserve them from international hacking attempts.