Dutch university gets cyber ransom money back with interest

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A bitcoin icon is displayed during President Nayib Bukele" s="" announcement="" about="" the="" bitcoin="" city="" project="" that="" will="" work="" in="" eastern="" El="" Santa="" Maria="" November="" EPA-EFE="" Rodrigo="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/07/04/bitcoin.jpg"/><figcaption>A bitcoin icon is displayed during President Nayib Bukele&#x27;s announcement about the bitcoin city project that will work in eastern El Salvador, in Santa Maria Mizata, El Salvador, 21 November 2021. <em>EPA-EFE/Rodrigo Sura</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Dutch university that fell victim to a massive ransomware attack has partly received back its stolen money... which in the meantime more than doubled in value, a news report said on Saturday.</p><p>The southern Maastricht University in 2019 was hit by a large cyberattack in which criminals used ransomware, a type of malicious software that locks valuable data and can only be accessed once the victim pays a ransom amount.</p><p>&quot;The criminals had encrypted hundreds of Windows servers and backup systems, preventing 25,000 students and employees from accessing scientific data, library and mail,&quot; the daily De Volkskrant said. </p><p>The hackers demanded 200,000 euros ($208,000) in bitcoins.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/02/22/the-most-common-crypto-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them">The most common crypto scams and how to avoid them, according to this Filipino expert</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/09/22/us-seizes-36b-of-stolen-bitcoin-in-record-haul">US seizes $3.6 billion of stolen bitcoin in record haul</a></li></ul><p>&quot;After a week the university decide to accede to the criminal gang&#x27;s demand,&quot; the paper said.</p><p>&quot;This was partly because personal data was in danger of being lost and students were unable to take an exam or work on their theses,&quot; it said.</p><p>Dutch police traced part of the ransom paid to an account belonging to a money launderer in Ukraine.</p><p>Prosecutors in 2020 seized this man&#x27;s account, which contained a number of different crypto currencies including part of the ransom money paid by Maastricht.</p><p>&quot;When, now after more than two years, it was finally possible to get that money to the Netherlands, the value had increased from 40,000 euros to half-a-million euros,&quot; the paper said.</p><p>Maastricht University will now get the 500,000 euros ($521,000) back.</p><p>&quot;This money will not go to a general fund, but into a fund to help financially strapped students,&quot; Maastricht University ICT director Michiel Borgers said.</p><p>The investigation into the hackers responsible for the attack on the university is still ongoing, De Volkskrant added.</p><div><strong>jhe/spm</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2057933" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A Dutch university that fell victim to a massive ransomware attack has partly received back its stolen money... which in the meantime more than doubled in value. 

Dutch university gets cyber ransom money back with interest | ABS-CBN

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Dutch university gets cyber ransom money back with interest

Dutch university gets cyber ransom money back with interest

Agence France-Presse

Published Jul 04, 2022 08:42 AM PHT

Read More:

ransomware

cybercrime

Maastricht University

Netherlands

computer crime

bitcoin

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