In the latest of a long string of ransomware attacks, the University of Utah announced that they paid a ransomware group of $457,000 to protect sensitive student data. The university was targeted by cyberattackers, who managed to encrypt .02% of the data stored on their servers. The operators behind the ransomware then demanded payment, threatening to otherwise leak the stolen information publicly.
The University of Utah stated that it was not originally planning to pay the ransom demands as they were able to recover encrypted files through backups. When the university learned that the data involved pertained to students, they reconsidered their strategy for dealing with the cyberattack.
Read More: University of Utah pays $457,000 to ransomware gang