Security News > 2023 > May > Ransomware gang hijacks university alert system to issue threats
Bluefield University is a small private university in Bluefield, Virginia, with roughly 900 students.
The incident took a nasty turn on May 1st, 2023, with the Avos threat actors still having access to the University's RamAlert system, an emergency alert system used to warn students and staff via email and text of campus emergencies or threats.
"DO NOT ALLOW the University to lie about severity of the attack! As proof we leak sample Monday May 1st 2023 18:00:00 GMT". Additional alerts shared links and instructions on accessing the ransomware gang's data leak site to see further messages about the attack and any leaked data.
The final message delivered through the hijacked RamAlert system urged recipients to share the information with news outlets and threatened to publish all stolen data if the University did not pay them a ransom.
The use of the emergency alert system is likely meant to prevent the University's administration from downplaying the impact of the cyberattack or claiming that no data had been stolen, essentially increasing the extortion pressure on the educational institute.
Bluefield University published an update on the cyberattack, informing students and staff that remediation and system restoration efforts are still underway, and they still haven't found any evidence of abuse of student data.