The VPN, K-State Today emails, and video services on Canvas and Mediasite have all been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, according to Kansas State University (K- State ).
65 master’s and 45 doctoral programs are available at Kansas State University, a public university with land grants. There are currently 20,000 students enrolled there, along with 1,400 academic staff.
The university revealed on its media portal on Tuesday morning that some IT systems were malfunctioning, and by afternoon it had been confirmed that a cyberattack was to blame.
When the attack was discovered, affected systems were shut down, making it impossible to print, share drives, mailing list management services ( Listservs ), emails, Canvas, and mediasite videos.
The status update reads,” Please be assured that we are devoting significant resources to quickly and safely restore involved systems.”
” We have also hired outside IT forensic experts to help us with the ongoing investigation efforts.”
Academic deans have been given advice on how to maintain educational continuity, including using alternative resources. Additionally, K-State advised staff and students to report any suspicious activity to the university’s IT help desk on a regular basis.
Another status update that was released yesterday says that starting on January 18, 2024, email services for “K-State Today” will be available once more, providing the community in Kansas with daily announcements and research news.
It should be noted, though, that the service will resume in a temporary format, with an alternative header image and lower volume and chosen content. Additionally, a 48-hour delay in email delivery is anticipated.
There has n’t been any mention of the possibility of a data breach affecting student or personnel information as of yet, but more information about the cyberattack and its effects will be posted on this page.
Following the ransomware attack on Memorial University of Newfoundland ( MUN) at the beginning of the month, which compelled the institution to postpone the semester start date, this is the second cyberattack on a significant educational institution for 2024.
No significant ransomware organizations have claimed responsibility for the attack on Kansas State University as of the time this is being written, but it may be too early in the extortion stage for a public disclosure to be made.