Akira ransomware group claims it stole 430 GB of data from Stanford University's systems

Stanford University said it suffered a significant cyber attack that has affected the computer systems of its Department of Public Safety.

In a recent data security incident notice, Stanford University said that an internal investigation has been launched to understand the nature and scope of the security incident that affected the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS).

“We are continuing to investigate a cybersecurity incident at the Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) to determine the extent of what may have been impacted,” the notice reads.

Stanford University has, however, confirmed that the incident was limited to the Department of Public Safety and “there is no indication that the incident affected any other part of the university, nor did it impact police response to emergencies.”

The university added that the affected SUDPS system has been secured and officials will provide more details about the data security incident as and when available.

“Our privacy and information security teams have been giving this matter their concerted attention, in coordination with outside specialists. The investigation is ongoing and once it is completed, we will act accordingly and be able to share more information with the community,” the university added.

Recently, the notorious Akira ransomware group claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on the University and listed the latter as a victim on its data leak channel. According to cybersecurity analyst and security researcher Dominic Alvieri, the Akira ransomware group stole up to “430 gb of internal data” from the university’s systems.

 

The ransomware group has so far not shared any samples of the data it allegedly stole from the University, so the authenticity of the ransomware groups claim’s cannot be taken for granted.

In January this year, Stanford University suffered another data breach after a folder misconfiguration enabled third parties to access the application details of the Department of Economics’ Ph.D programme.

“On January 24, 2023, Stanford was notified that a folder containing the 2022-23 application files for admission to Stanford’s Department of Economics’ Ph.D. programme was available through the department’s website because of a misconfiguration of the folder’s settings,” the University wrote in the letter sent to affected individuals.

After identifying the misconfigured folder, immediate steps were taken and access to the folder was restricted. The University also launched an internal investigation which revealed that “unrestricted access to the applications began on December 5, 2022, and that there were two downloads of the application materials between December 5, 2022, and January 24, 2023.”

The compromised data contained sensitive personal information submitted by students applying for the Ph.D. programme. These included their names, dates of birth, home and mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, race and ethnicity, citizenship, and gender. Materials submitted during the application process, such as transcripts, personal statements, résumé, letters of recommendation and certain health information were also accessed by third parties.