An Antwerp school recently fell victim to a cyber attack that shut down all servers. The school did not pay the ransom, after which the criminals targeted the students’ parents.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwinstituut Pulhof in Berchem recently fell victim to cybercriminals, Gazet Van Antwerpen reports. The criminals shut down all servers and demanded a ransom. However, the school did not respond to this demand, after which the malicious actors turned their attention to the students’ parents. The school filed a complaint with the police.
Complaint filed
The servers of the OLV Pulhof in Berchem were shut down shortly after the Christmas holidays. Cybercriminals immediately demanded a ransom, but the school did not comply on the advice of the competent authorities. Initially, the hackers demanded 100,000 euros, but that was reduced to 15,000 euros.
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The school immediately filed a complaint with the police, who sent the Regional Computer Crime Unit (RCCU) to the scene. A new, secure network environment was also immediately set up.
Parents targeted
Because the school did not comply with the demand to pay a ransom, the malicious actors turned their attention to the students’ parents. Threatening emails are reportedly circulating stating that they would offer the data of students and teachers on the dark web. According to VRT nws, the hackers demanded 50 euros ransom per child.
The school is calling on people not to respond to such emails, not to pay and not to engage in conversation with the sender, but to report this immediately to the school. It is not yet clear who is behind the cyber attack. The Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation.
Sectors
No sector is escaping cybercrime. A few days ago, the servers of the AZ Monica hospital in Antwerp were hit. Brands including Nike and Under Armour have also recently been affected by a cyber attack.
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