The data leaked on the dark web on Thursday by the hackers of the Open University of Cyprus (OUC) is encrypted, the head of the police’s cybercrime department, Andreas Anastasiades, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
“Some of the data were released, but they are encrypted and locked, so it’s not clear what kind of data was released,” he said.
Anastasiades said the hackers had demanded €100,000 in cryptocurrency. The data was published on the dark web on Thursday after the deadline to pay the ransom expired.
In a press release, the Open University of Cyprus said that it had experienced a malicious cyber attack on the 27th of March 2023. As a precaution, several central university services and critical systems were taken offline.
However, sensitive personal data of members of the academic community were compromised.
The OUC said that since the first day of the cyber-attack, the university has been in constant communication and effective cooperation with the Cybercrime Unit of the Cyprus Police, which is conducting the relevant investigations, and the Commissioner for the Protection of Personal Data.
The relevant authorities are working to stop the acquisition of this data, which constitutes a criminal act, in cooperation with the relevant professional services of the Open University of Cyprus.
At the same time, the University is taking additional technical and organisational measures to mitigate all risks and address all vulnerabilities and is working closely with a number of external partners to restore all disrupted operations.
Anyone wishing to know if their personal data has been affected can contact the Open University of Cyprus via email [email protected] or telephone at +357 22411730.
Read more:
Hackers release trove of personal data grabbed from Open University
