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Source: BBC News
Summary
The Sapienza University of Rome has reportedly been hit by a ransomware attack, which has taken down its systems. The attack allegedly occurred on Friday, with the university stating that it is working to restore services as soon as possible. The cause of the attack and the extent of the damage are not yet clear.
Our Reading
The announcement sounds ambitious.
Another day, another ransomware attack on a major institution. Because what’s a little data breach and potentially stolen personal information when you’re trying to get your degree? The university claims it’s working to restore services, but we all know how that usually goes.
This is just another example of how well-funded and sophisticated the cybercrime underworld is. And don’t even get me started on the “as soon as possible” part – we all know that means weeks or even months.
The university is being tight-lipped about the cause of the attack, but we can bet our bottom dollar it’s some variation of the same old tired tactics. Phishing emails, unpatched vulnerabilities, the works.
This is just another reminder that our data is only as secure as the weakest link in the chain. And that chain is getting longer by the day.
The real question is, when will we stop pretending that these attacks are surprises and start treating them as the inevitable consequences of our reliance on digital technology? “We’re working to restore services as soon as possible” is just a nice way of saying “we’re still trying to figure out what happened and how to fix it.”
This is just another day in the life of cybersecurity. Same old, same old.
Author: Evan Null
