Cyberattack forces Dutch university to cancel lectures

Eindhoven University of Technology has cancelled “lectures and other educational activities” following a cyberattack, although it is expected to have only a limited impact as teaching is reduced while students prepare for exams.

In a statement on Sunday, the Dutch university said it had shut down its network after detecting the attack at around 9 p.m. on Saturday but stressed its IT staff still have access to all systems and are investigating. Students have been told the disruption would last on Monday and an update would be provided on Tuesday.

“We cannot yet say much about the exact nature given the investigation, but it had all the hallmarks of a cyber attack given the suspicious activity on our servers. During the night we therefore shut down the network. There is no sign yet that data has been stolen, we are still investigating that,” the university’s statement added.

The campus remains accessible for students and employees, although facilities that depend on the university network including email, WiFi, and the cash registers at the canteens, are unavailable.

Patrick Groothuis, the university’s vice-president, stated: “We realize that switching off the network has serious consequences, for our students, employees, but also for other parties on campus.

“This necessary intervention was done to prevent worse outcomes. We therefore hope for understanding, and we are doing our utmost to resolve this and have all systems accessible as soon as possible,” added Groothuis.

The nature of the attack has not been disclosed. Numerous technical universities across Europe have been impacted by ransomware groups in the past few years. Although the Eindhoven University of Technology maintains links with numerous businesses in the area, including ASML — a critical part of the supply chain for the most advanced computer chips — there is no indication that these businesses could have been affected.