Hackers on Thursday released an unprecedented trove of personal data grabbed from the Open University of Cyprus (OUC) shortly after a deadline for payment of ransom elapsed.
The ‘Medusa’ ransomware gang had demanded €100,000 from the Nicosia-based online university – to be paid in cryptocurrency – in return for not releasing the data.
The university had announced they won’t succumb to the hackers’ blackmail.
The cyberattack occurred on March 27, with several central services and critical systems forced to go offline.
OUC offers 30 higher-level education programs to 4,200 students and participates in various scientific research activities.
The personal data release took place on the “Dark Web” page set up by the hackers who had managed to access the university’s entire electronic infrastructure.
Experts told Philenews that the extent of the leak will be noted in the coming days with the Police, the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, the Digital Security Authority and others monitoring the issue.
However, it cannot be ruled out that data from 2010 onwards has been stolen.
As for individuals whose personal data has been stolen, they have the right to file a complaint with the Personal Data Protection’s office.
