German applied sciences university hit by criminal cyberattack

Hochschule Kempten, a renowned university of applied sciences in the Bavarian city of Kempten, Germany, disclosed an unsettling development. The institution, catering to approximately 5,500 students, was ensnared in a malicious cyberattack, compelling authorities to take down its IT infrastructure.

Despite meticulous security measures, the perpetrators managed to breach segments of the university’s IT network. Consequently, access to multiple IT systems was curtailed as a precautionary measure, rendering email communication inaccessible, although the telephone lines remain operational.

A statement released by Kempten elucidated the gravity of the situation: "All those responsible are currently working diligently to contain the attack, the magnitude of which remains indeterminate." Regrettably, the university cannot provide a definitive timeline for restoring its IT systems and services to normalcy.

This incident resonates with a string of ransomware attacks that have plagued German-speaking applied sciences universities over the past year. Noteworthy among these are the cyber incidents reported by the Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences and the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, which fell victim to ransomware groups last June and late last year, respectively.

The University of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest academic institution, also grappled with a serious cyberattack in February, aligning with a distressing trend targeting educational and health institutions. Preceding this, the Harz University of Applied Sciences, Ruhr West University, and the EU/FH European University of Applied Sciences faced similar challenges.