Hacker attack on LMU Munich: Student data compromised
Cybercriminals breached the IT system of Ludwig Maximilians University Munich and accessed sensitive student data. The exact extent of the damage remains unclear.
Cyber attack on LMU Munich shortly before semester begins
Ludwig Maximilians University Munich has become a victim of a cyber attack. According to tagesschau.de, attackers gained access to the university's IT system and extracted personal registration data from students related to their matriculation.
According to a statement from LMU, the affected data includes name, date of birth, gender and place of birth. In addition, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and bank details such as IBAN and account holder name were leaked. Information about health insurance, BAföG reference numbers, and details about course progress and previous school or university qualifications were also compromised.
Exam information and individual performance records were explicitly not affected. The university also stated that changes to or manipulation of the data could be prevented.
Technical investigation ongoing
The actual extent of the damage remains unknown. The technical investigation is ongoing, which is why LMU is currently unable to provide reliable information about the total number of people affected, data volume or affected time periods. The university is working with the relevant investigative and supervisory authorities as well as external specialists, also to prevent further attacks.
According to the university's own account, it identified the attack on Wednesday, 16 September. Immediately afterwards, it took countermeasures and shut down the affected system. When exactly the hackers breached the system and how long they had access remains unclear.
Whether data was actually stolen cannot yet be conclusively determined. According to LMU, specialists are monitoring relevant portals on the dark web for evidence of the affected information.
The university states on its website: "Based on current findings, there are currently no indications that the attacker has published the obtained data set, intends to do so or has misused it in any other way." Should corresponding evidence emerge, those affected would be contacted immediately.
Criticism of delayed information to students
In addition to the directly affected registration server, several other systems were shut down as a precaution, which temporarily made some internal services unavailable.
The ongoing academic operations should not be affected by this. Registration should resume after a brief interruption from next week; existing registrations remain valid and the corresponding deadlines are extended.
Florian von Brunn, digital policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, described the attack as "shocking – all the more so because the university has high IT expertise". He also criticised LMU's communication: "LMU discovered the attack on 16 September and apparently only informed people from Saturday afternoon onwards – shortly after the Oktoberfest opening ceremony. The General Data Protection Regulation requires that those affected be notified immediately – not days later and sometime on the first Saturday of Oktoberfest." Von Brunn called on the university to disclose when students were actually notified and demanded clarity on the timing, duration and cause of the attack as well as on responsibilities.
LMU is now urging students to be vigilant and recommends not opening attachments to suspicious emails and not disclosing bank details or passwords. The university website is regularly updated with current information about the incident.
Source: Google News LU DE