Trusted CI Webinar: Lessons learned from a real-world ransomware attack on researchers at MSU

Adams, Andrew; Siu, Tom; Welch, Von; Songer, Julie

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/112812 Copy

Description

Title

Trusted CI Webinar: Lessons learned from a real-world ransomware attack on researchers at MSU

Author(s)

• Adams, Andrew
• Siu, Tom
• Welch, Von
• Songer, Julie

Issue Date

2021-12-06

Keyword(s)

• Trusted CI
• Webinar
• NSF
• Michigan State University
• Ransomware

Abstract

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting researchers (along with hospitals, cities, schools, and utilities) because ransomware allows them to target a broader set of victims. Ransomware monetizes the attack by encrypting data and holding it ransom until victims pay, meaning victims no longer need to hold data of direct financial value. The proliferation of ransomware attacks has led to the U.S. Department of Justice calling it a growing national security threat. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-launches-first-one-stop-ransomware-resource-stopransomwaregov The Physics and Astronomy department at Michigan State University (MSU) suffered a ransomware attack in 2020. The MSU Information Security Office partnered with Trusted CI, the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, to investigate the attack and produce a report for the research community on lessons learned. This webinar by MSU CISO Tom Siu and Trusted CI, will present that report. MSU and Trusted CI will discuss the impact and lessons learned from the attack and offer cybersecurity mitigation strategies for protecting academic researchers. The webinar will conclude with a Q&A session. Audience members are encouraged to ask about their challenges engaging with researchers on the importance of information security. The report can be found at: https://hdl.handle.net/2022/26638

Type of Resource

• text
• still image

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/112812

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

NSF Grant # 1920430

Copyright and License Information

Copyright © 2021 The Trustees of Indiana University. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-­NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY­NC 3.0) license.

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