Shemaine Bushnell Kyriakides
The clock is ticking for the Open University as the deadline looms for a group of hackers called "Medusa" to release personal data that they intercepted. The police have warned that the cyber intruder group is likely to make good on their threat when the deadline expires tomorrow. In the past, the group has implemented its threats when they were not financially satisfied.
The head of the police's e-crime branch, Andreas Anastasiades, revealed that the disclosure of personal data will be made on the "Dark Web" and not the web used by the average citizen. He added that once the information is made public, the authorities will take action.
At present, the amount and content of the data stolen from the Open University remain unknown. However, it is known that the Republic of Cyprus has not given in to the hackers' blackmail demands. The University of Cyprus, the Department of Land Registry, and the Open University were all targeted, but the government did not pay the ransom. Only the Open University suffered a serious breach, and personal data was stolen.
The hackers demanded a ransom of $100,000 in cryptocurrency, which was not paid. The police have urged the public not to panic and to be vigilant against phishing emails, which may attempt to gain access to sensitive information.
[With information from Kathimerini.com.cy]
