Michigan Virtual Field Day: A Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call for Higher Education Institutions

The recent internet outage at the University of Michigan has raised concerns about cybersecurity threats in higher education institutions. The university did not explicitly state whether the current outage is related to a MOVEit attack, but experts warn that the education sector can expect more cyberattacks in the future.

According to the FBI, cyberattacks on public and private sector entities are ongoing, and there is no indication of a slowdown in numbers. In recent months, higher education institutions have been hit by several attacks, including a widespread attack on MOVEit, a software product used for file transfers that is employed by many government and academic institutions.

The University of Michigan has not been immune to these threats. In January, the university's Health system experienced a third-party attack on one of its vendors. This is the second public cyberattack on the university this year. The university made the intentional decision to sever its ties to the internet to prevent further damage.

The outage has caused inconvenience for students and faculty who are unable to access online resources. Late registration fees and disenrollment fees were pre-emptively waived throughout the month of August in anticipation of the outage. However, the lack of internet connectivity has also raised concerns about student safety, particularly for those who rely on online services.

The university's IT team has been working tirelessly to resolve the issue, but the outage is expected to last several days. In the meantime, students and faculty are advised to write down important information such as class schedules and meeting times in case they lose access to their devices.

The Michigan Virtual Field Day highlights the need for higher education institutions to prioritize cybersecurity and invest in robust security measures to protect against cyber threats. The incident serves as a wake-up call for universities to take proactive steps to prevent future attacks and ensure the safety of their students and faculty.

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Michigan virtual field day