CybersafetyConnections August 28, 2023, vol#132 

  • This week from Konberiefing there was a ransomware attack on a Hawaii community college in June 2023. 
  • Personal information of 28,000 individuals was illegally obtained. 
  • The threat actors were identified and had demanded ramson payment. 
  • The University of Hawaii (UH) sadly negotiated and paid ransom to the threat actors. 
  • There are ongoing cybersecurity efforts to mitigate loss. 

What happened? 

Que es el ransomware y c 

According to the UHNews there was a ransomware attack on the Hawai`i Community College – Hilo, Hawaii, USA (Hawaii County) network on June 13, 2023, and it has been successfully resolved. 

Who was affected? 

Tech Hoje 

Over 28,000 people had their personal information stolen. 

Which group was responsible for the ransomware attack? 

The growing threat of ransomware 

The information available identifies the cybercriminals as threat actors. 

What steps are being taken to mitigate the loss? 

 
Pre and Post Diseater Management 

Here are steps that have been taken and are still ongoing to mitigate loss. 

For the institution;

  • The University of Hawaiʻi acted in the best interest of the affected individuals and worked with cybersecurity experts to negotiate with the threat actors. 
  • As a result, all illegally obtained data was destroyed, ensuring the protection of the personal information of approximately 28,000 individuals. 
  • Efforts to restore the IT infrastructure of the Hawaiʻi CC are ongoing, with the wireless network already restored across all locations. It was expected that the wired network would be fully restored by the week of August 14, 2023. 

For individuals;

  • Affected individuals are being notified through letters and offered credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian. For those who may have been affected but did not receive a notification letter, they can call 1-833-627-2706 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., PDT. 
  • To protect themselves from potential threats, UH recommends that everyone takes proactive measures such as freezing their credit file, carefully reviewing account statements, and utilizing multi-factor authentication. 
  • Additional steps include placing fraud alerts on their account or credit file and changing passwords and security verification questions and answers. 

Ongoing efforts;

  • Therefore, UH Information Technology Services (ITS) is increasing scanning and monitoring across the 10-campus multi-island system while deploying additional security technologies to better safeguard the campus servers and networks and the information they hold. 
  • As ransomware attacks on educational institutions are becoming increasingly common, Hawaiʻi CC students and employees are urged to remain vigilant and implement best practices for cyber health. 

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