University of Oklahoma isolates systems and investigates after ransomware gang claims breach
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The University of Oklahoma (OU) is investigating a cyber incident after the Fog ransomware group claimed responsibility for breaching the university's systems during the winter break. The university has isolated certain systems and is implementing additional security measures across their network infrastructure.
The attack method aligns with common educational institution vulnerabilities, as explained by Christopher Freeze, an OU-Tulsa assistant professor of cybersecurity. He notes that academic environments are particularly susceptible due to their open, collaborative nature, where users might be more likely to click on seemingly legitimate links that could contain malware.
According to the Fog ransomware group's claims, they have exfiltrated:
- Employee contact information
- Financial data
- Contact information (phones and emails) of state senators
- Total claimed data size: 91 megabytes
The total number of affected individuals and the financial impact of the incident have not been publicly disclosed. OU has not disclosed whether they intend to pay the ransom.
