Bunker Hill Community College reports ransomware attack
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Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) located in Boston, Massachusetts reports that it was impacted by a ransomware incident in May 2023.
BHCC identified unusual activities on specific systems on May 23, 2023, consistent with a ransomware attack. In response, BHCC isolated the compromised systems, enlisted the expertise of data security and privacy professionals, and notified law enforcement, before commencing an in-depth investigation.
The attack was contained within a limited number of BHCC systems, and backup systems remained unaffected, enabling the restoration of the network without any data loss. The restoration process was successful,which prevented academic disruptions.
The investigation is ongoing due to the complexity of the incident, but current available information reports potential exposure of sensitive information, including:
- names,
- addresses,
- dates of birth,
- social security numbers,
- education records,
- other personal details.
The comprehensive details of the information exposed are still being determined. Not all data categories were exposed for every individual.
BHCC did not disclose any details about the number of potentially affected individuals nor details of the attack. Also, there is no mention of a ransom demand or any confirmation of data exfiltration during the breach.
In an effort to be transparent, BHCC is preparing to send individual notification letters to those individuals affected by the incident.
Update - on 28th of December 2023 Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) reports that the cyberattack has affected over 170,000 Massachusetts residents. The breach involved unauthorized access to BHCC's network, leading to a ransomware deployment and potential compromise of various data types, including personal and financial information. BHCC confirmed that 96% of potentially impacted individuals were notified, and while there's no current evidence of data misuse, the college has implemented security measures like password resets and new network tools.
