First US College to Close Permanently Following Ransomware Attack

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Content source

https://www.engadget.com/lincoln-college-ransomware-attack-shut-down-covid-19-164917483.html

Last December, Lincoln was hit by a cyberattack, which "thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of fall 2022 enrollment. All systems required for recruitment, retention and fundraising efforts were inoperable," the college said in a statement posted on its homepage. "Fortunately, no personal identifying information was exposed. Once fully restored in March 2022, the projections displayed significant enrollment shortfalls, requiring a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester."

 

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On BleepingComputer:

Ransomware: a constant threat to education orgs

While tragic and the first shutdown of a school caused by a ransomware attack, Lincoln College is just one of more than 1,000 other schools hit by ransomware last year, according to an Emsisoft report.

Eighty-eight education organizations were directly impacted by ransomware last year per Emsisoft, including 62 school districts and the campuses of 26 colleges and universities across the country, disrupting learning at 1,043 individual schools.

Even though the number is lower than the previous year (when 1,681 education institutions were hit), this is mainly because such attacks hit smaller school districts in 2021.

Lincoln College to close after 157 years due ransomware attack

Lincoln College, a liberal-arts school from rural Illinois, says it will close its doors later this month, 157 years since it was founded and following a hard hit on its finances after the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent ransomware attack.

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