Tag Archive for: universities

Hack disrupts Southern Arkansas University communications | Colleges & Universities


Southern Arkansas University is recovering from an attack against its computer servers.

A statement said SAU is responding to a security incident that disrupted access to university systems and applications.

“While access to some systems remain offline, access to faculty, staff, and student email and the Blackboard learning management system are operational.

“SAU is working with independent forensic specialists to investigate the situation and will take all appropriate actions in response to its findings,” the statement said.

“We have notified law enforcement and will continue to actively monitor our networks and take appropriate actions to protect our systems in line with our incident response protocols,” the statement said.

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Nuclear Security Education: IAEA Partners with Universities and Research Institutions


Aligning the available teaching materials on nuclear security with the latest IAEA guidance is an important stepping stone in the path to excellence in nuclear security education. This objective is among the key areas of work of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN), a partnership mechanism that facilitates the collaboration of the IAEA with educational and research institutions.

“Education and training in the area of nuclear security is an essential component of the IAEA’s nuclear security programme,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security, during the INSEN Annual meeting convened in Vienna in July. “By sharing experiences and good practices, INSEN members can further enhance their capacities in order to effectively contribute to strengthening nuclear security regimes through a sustainable nuclear security education.” 

Established in 2010, INSEN has 204 members and 13 observers from 72 countries. Their work includes the development of peer-reviewed teaching materials; faculty development in different areas of nuclear security; joint research activities; student exchange programmes; academic theses supervision and evaluation; knowledge management; promotion of nuclear security education; and other related activities.

During their recent annual meeting, 94 participants representing 45 INSEN member countries came together to review the implementation progress of the Network’s Action Plan to identify and evaluate the activities for the coming year.

The exchanges also covered topics such as the role of research in enhancing nuclear security, international collaboration, capacity building as well as gender equality.

“INSEN utilizes feedback received from its members and other international experts through meetings, personal communication, and surveys to understand the evolving nature of nuclear security, and assess the effectiveness of nuclear security education,” said Alpana Goel, Director of Amity Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology from India and Chair of INSEN.

The revision of existing nuclear security teaching materials according to the IAEA publication “Model Academic Curriculum in Nuclear…

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Ransomware gang lists first victims of MOVEit mass-hacks, including US banks and universities


Clop, the ransomware gang responsible for exploiting a critical security vulnerability in a popular corporate file transfer tool, has begun listing victims of the mass-hacks, including a number of U.S. banks and universities.

The Russia-linked ransomware gang has been exploiting the security flaw in MOVEit Transfer, a tool used by corporations and enterprises to share large files over the internet, since late May. Progress Software, which develops the MOVEit software, patched the vulnerability — but not before hackers compromised a number of its customers.

While the exact number of victims remains unknown, Clop on Wednesday listed the first batch of organizations it says it hacked by exploiting the MOVEit flaw. The victim list, which was posted to Clop’s dark web leak site, includes U.S.-based financial services organizations 1st Source and First National Bankers Bank; Boston-based investment management firm Putnam Investments; the Netherlands-based Landal Greenparks; and the U.K.-based energy giant Shell.

GreenShield Canada, a non-profit benefits carrier that provides health and dental benefits, was listed on the leak site but has since been removed.

Other victims listed include financial software provider Datasite; educational non-profit National Student Clearinghouse; student health insurance provider United Healthcare Student Resources; American manufacturer Leggett & Platt; Swiss insurance company ÖKK; and the University System of Georgia (USG).

A USG spokesperson, who did not provide their name, told TechCrunch that the university is “evaluating the scope and severity of this potential data exposure. If necessary, consistent with federal and state law, notifications will be issued to any individuals affected.”

Florian Pitzinger, a spokesperson for German mechanical engineering company Heidelberg, which Clop listed as a victim, told TechCrunch in a statement that the company is “well aware of its mentioning on the Tor website of Clop and the incident connected to a supplier software.” The spokesperson added that the “incident occurred a few weeks ago, was countered fast and effectively and based on our analysis did not lead to any data breach.”

None of…

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Universities across Louisiana shut down due to internet system issues


NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Five colleges and universities across Louisiana shut down internet systems after detecting a possible hack.

The five schools are the University of New Orleans, Nunez community college, LSU Agricultural Center, Southern University at Shreveport, and River Parishes Community College Gonzales.

Around 7:00 p.m. Friday (March 24th), students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the UNO began experiencing issues regarding connectivity issues.

The University took to Twitter to address the system issue.

At this time the system issue is being investigated by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, as well as the Louisiana State Police.

Each college’s internet system can go back online after they are determined to be secure.

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