Ransomware attack on college admission system exposes student data, scams applicants
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Surya Shakti Infotech Pvt Ltd, a company that manages online college admission systems, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack that compromised student data and disrupted the entrance process for multiple educational institutions.
The attack began with an initial breach between June 15 and 16, 2025, when cybercriminals gained unauthorized access to a server hosted in Chennai that contained admission databases for Scottish Church College and potentially other educational institutions.
The breach allowed the attackers to access sensitive student information and admission system credentials. The attackers used their access to send fraudulent payment instructions to undergraduate candidates who had applied for admission to Scottish Church College. The cybercriminals provided false bank account details and instructed students to transfer so-called admission fees to accounts controlled by the attackers.
The attack escalated between June 24 and 25, 2025, when the cybercriminals launched coordinated intrusions targeting servers in both Chennai and Dallas. These subsequent attacks resulted in the deletion of admission databases for multiple colleges, causing disruption to the admission process across several educational institutions.
The compromised data includes
- Student names and contact information
- College application details and status
- Admission database records for multiple institutions
- Financial transaction details related to admission fees
- Email communications between students and admission authorities
- Database access credentials and system configuration data
The number of affected individuals is not disclosed.
Surya Shakti Infotech Pvt Ltd reported the breach to the authorities. The company stated that emergency security measures were implemented after the first breach was discovered, but these measures proved insufficient to prevent the subsequent attacks on June 24 and 25.
No other recovery effort details are disclosed.
