Vellore Institute of Technology Suffers Ransomware Attack by Lockbit2

Company Size and Industry Standing

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), a renowned educational institution with a strong international presence and academic partnerships with over 440 foreign universities, has been targeted by the ransomware group Lockbit2. The attack was announced on the group's dark web leak site, and the victim's website is https://vit.ac.in/.

Vulnerabilities and Targeting

The specific vulnerabilities that led to VIT being targeted by Lockbit2 are not mentioned in the search results. However, it is known that ransomware attacks often exploit weaknesses in software, hardware, or network security, leading to data encryption and demands for ransom payments.

Mitigation Strategies

While the article does not include general information about mitigating ransomware attack risks, it is essential for organizations to implement robust cybersecurity measures, such as maintaining offline backups, using strong passwords, and installing host-based firewalls. Additionally, organizations should be aware of the latest threats and vulnerabilities, and regularly update their security systems to protect against new attack vectors.

Sources

• Vellore Institute of Technology. (n.d.). Vellore Institute of Technology | A Place to Learn, A Chance to Grow.
• National CoE. (2023). Cybersecurity R&D & Innovation Roadshow 2023 - Bangalore - National CoE.
• Kok, S.; Abdullah, A.; Jhanjhi, N.Z.; Supramaniam, M. (2019). Ransomware, Threat and Detection Techniques: A Review. International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 19, 136–146.
• ScienceDirect. (2019). Ransomware classification using patch-based CNN and self-attention network on embedded N-grams of opcodes.
• Byjus. (n.d.). Ransomware Attack [UPSC Notes].
• Nature. (2024). A novel optimized neural network model for cyber attack detection using enhanced whale optimization algorithm.