Dive Brief:
- A cyberattack brought down the Rutgers University computer network on Monday for the fourth time in less than a year, blocking access to network Internet connections and educational resources.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the attack was a distributed denial-of-service cyber attack that temporarily crippled the network but lasted just a few hours and did not compromise any personal data.
- While last year’s attacks lasted longer, students and faculty were particularly frustrated Monday because the university spent $3 million to tighten security this summer and partially attributed a 2.3% tuition and fee hike to the expense.
Dive Insight:
According to The Chronicle, distributed denial-of-service or DDoS attacks are often personally motivated, as a hacker succeeds in blocking access to network resources but creates more of an annoyance than anything dangerous.
Several other colleges and universities are dealing with attacks that accessed the personal data of their students and staff. Beefing up security for these types of attacks is critical, as personal data has been considered particularly vulnerable in higher education and hackers have definitely caught on.