Amsterdam university of applied sciences affected by virus attack update 2

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The HvA has his students advised to make the password for their school account to change. Reason is a virus attack, whereby data of students can be captured. Other educational institutions may also be affected.

Reports that the university in an internal e-mail to students and staff. Although the statement speaks about an attack on “less than 100 workplaces’, the University of applied sciences in the attack enough reason to all the staff and students ask to change their passwords. The infected computers were in the HvA locations on the Fraijlemaborg and the Wenckebachweg.

Research by Fox-IT in the HvA it is clear that the attack may have passwords ‘have gone’ and so in the hands of the attacker may have come. According to Surfcert, that the protection of education systems, coordinates, camps, other educational institutions and at SURFnet member organisations with the problem. What these are, is unknown.

It comes to computers, for example, in the library and classrooms were prepared. The attack is on Saturday, February 11, detected, according to a message on the intranet of the HvA. Only when a large amount of traffic the firewall ‘so charged’ that there is ‘hardly any traffic more was possible’, one or more viruses on computers on the Fraijlemaborg discovered.

Two days later, there was again a large flow of traffic’ who ‘the network is almost fully stillegde, appears from the post. This time it was to one or more viruses on two desktops both on the Fraijlemaborg as the Wenckebachweg. The viruses, it is unknown how many, would not by the McAfee antivirus software of the HvA are recognized. It was going to be viruses that ‘worked’ but have strong differences.

According to the HvA, there is no reason to believe that the attack specifically on the HvA is focused. Monday all the active desktops, the company scanned and currently, all laptops of a new image. Also, all network traffic is monitored for suspicious patterns.

The University of Amsterdam confirms the virus attack. Fox-IT did not want to confirm or research at the HvA has performed. “If that is so, it is up to the organisation itself to announce”, says managing director Ronald Prins.

Update, 16:26: According to spokesman Harold Teunissen of SURFnet is not yet clear whether there are indeed other educational institutions are affected. He hopes that later today for more clarity to be able to give.

Update, Saturday, 13:49: Spokesman Teunissen of SURFnet to let you know that as far as is known no other educational institutions are affected.