Michigan State University said it doesn’t plan to give into a hacker threatening to publish students’ personal records and university financial documents if the university fails to pay an unspecified bounty this week.
MSU spokesperson Dan Olsen — citing the ongoing nature of the investigation — declined to answer questions about the amount of ransom money requested or the associated deadline.
University officials believe the latest breach occurred on Memorial Day and took relevant computer systems offline within hours of the intrusion, according to a news release. It compromised data associated with the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and information technology teams are coordinating with law enforcement to understand the scope of the breach. Investigators are notifying and providing support to affected MSU affiliates as they are identified.
The cybersecurity breach, known as a ransomware attack, first became public May 27 when a hacker-affiliated blog posted screenshots of files allegedly belonging to MSU affiliates. Images circulating on social media include a redacted passport and a list of transactions related to physics and astronomy projects. They…
