Eindhoven University of Technology hit by cyberattack, takes network offline

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) was hit by a cyber attack that forced the institution to take its entire network offline on Sunday 12th of January 2025. The incident was initially detected at 9 PM on Saturday evening. The university claims this is not a ransomware attack, and there has been no contact with any alleged perpetrators.

The university shut down it's entire network as a precautionary measure, leading to the suspension of all educational activities at least until Tuesday. While campus buildings remain physically accessible, students and staff cannot access critical network-dependent services including:

• Email systems
• WiFi networks
• Canvas learning management system
• Microsoft Teams collaboration platform

Patrick Groothuis, vice president of the Executive Board, acknowledged the significant impact of this decision but emphasized its necessity to prevent more severe consequences. The university's IT experts retain system access and are conducting a thorough investigation into the attack's nature and scope, prioritizing caution in their recovery efforts.

The university has established a web page for updates and is utilizing internal communication channels to keep its community informed. A status update regarding Tuesday's operations is scheduled for 4 PM Monday.

The nature of the attack, number of affected individuals and pecific data types compromised are not disclosed.

The timing of the attack coincides with the exam preparation period, which has somewhat minimized its immediate impact on students. This is not the first cyber incident affecting TU/e. The university previously experienced a data breach in 2022 that impacted both students and staff.