A US college is shutting down for good following a ransomware attack

Lincoln College says it will close this week in the wake of a ransomware attack that took months to resolve. While the impact of COVID-19 severely impacted activities such as recruitment and fundraising, the cyberattack seems to have been the tipping point for the Illinois institution.

The college has informed the Illinois Department of Higher Education and Higher Learning Commission that it will permanently close as of May 13th. As NBC News notes, it's the first US college or university to shut down in part because of a ransomware attack.

A US college is shutting down for good following a ransomware attack (msn.com)

Lincoln College - Associates & Bachelors Degree Programs

 

"Hit by a cyberattack" is an interesting way of saying their poor security practices literally destroyed the institution. I assume the DOE sets some minimum standards to protect students (and if they don't, then obviously accreditors do.) Someone with the power to compel these universities to act differently needs to ensure they have the minimum of cyber security precautions.

Rhetorical questions:

• Why were all systems networked together so that someone clicking a ransomware link or app would render all "recruitment, retention and fundraising efforts" inoperable?
• Why don't they have sufficient backups?
• Where was IT during the 3 months it took to recover?
• How much did Lincoln pay in ransom?

 

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

Approval of Request for Change
Lincoln College, Lincoln, IL

• Approved the Provisional Plan and teach-out arrangements for the closure of Lincoln College with the following institutions:
  • Benedictine University (IL)
  • Chicago State University (IL)
  • Culver-Stockton College (MO)
  • Eastern Illinois University (IL)
  • Eureka College (IL)
  • Fontbonne University (MO)
  • Franklin University (OH)
  • Governors State University (IL)
  • Greenville University (IL)
  • Heartland Community College (IL)
  • Illinois College (IL)
  • Indiana Wesleyan University (IN)
  • Illinois State University (IL)
  • Lincoln Land Community College (IL)
  • Millikin University (IL)
  • Roosevelt University (IL)
  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (IL)
  • University of Illinois Springfield (IL)
  • Waldorf University (IA)
  • Western Illinois University (IL)