Top official says Kansas courts need at least $2.6 million to recover from cyberattack
18 January 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A cyber attack at Kansas State University is causing problems for the school.
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the university announced that they were experiencing disruption to certain network systems, including VPN, some emails, and videos.
“In the security world, will tell you, it’s not if you get breached, it’s when,” CEO of Soteria Technology Solutions Bill Ramsey said.
K-State is the latest educational institution to deal with a cyber attack, and in the beginning days of the second semester, students are already feeling the impact.
“I think two of my classes have already been set back. Just because they’re like, ‘Hey, we have videos online, and they’re not accessible right now, so we’ll just have to wait and see,'” K-State senior Evan Ronaldo said.
Ramsay says schools or universities can be targeted because lots of money can be involved.
“Extorting the colleges, you have to pay us to not release this data or any institution, or we’ve encrypted your data, and you have to pay us to unencrypt it for those types of things. It’s strictly money,” said Ramsey.
Other students at K-State are concerned about these types of cyber attacks, knowing that they can happen at any time.
“Hopefully, everything just kind of stays in check. The world’s forever moving and evolving each day. Hopefully, everyone does what’s right, and I mean and uses the technology for what it’s supposed to be used for,” K-State sophomore Josh Cusick said.
The university declined an interview but released the following statement:
“We are dedicating significant resources to bring involved systems back online quickly and safely. We have engaged third-party it forensic experts to assist us in the ongoing investigation efforts.”