University of Michigan Data Breach: Another Reason to Think About Your Organization's Cybersecurity?

Last week, the University of Michigan announced it suffered a data breach in August 2023. During this incident, hackers were able to gain access to the university's network and retrieve a wide range of sensitive information. The unauthorized access to the servers lasted from August 23 to 27, and the data exposed included personal, financial, and medical details such as social security numbers, government-issued IDs, and payment card numbers. It is also possible that data belonging to participants in research studies and patients of the University Health Service and School of Dentistry may have been affected.

The University of Michigan disconnected the campus network from the internet and launched an investigation right after detecting suspicious activity. In accordance with their statement, on October 23, 2023, the university sent letters to all individuals whose sensitive personal information was involved in the incident.

The sad fact is that these kinds of cyberattacks, as the University of Michigan encountered, are becoming ever more common and sophisticated. In the second quarter of 2023 alone, the number of weekly cyberattacks around the world increased by 8%, with organizations experiencing an average of more than 1,200 attacks per week. Surprisingly, the education and research sectors are particularly targeted.

A cyberattack is definitely something that is better prevented than cured. One proactive measure to ensure an organization's online safety is to educate employees about the basics of cybersecurity.

Our free Cybersecurity Awareness Training can be a big help for organizations and companies in providing comprehensive staff education. This course gives an insight into the importance of strong passwords, the vulnerabilities of public Wi-Fi networks, threats associated with email communications, as well as different types of malware and their potential impact on devices or data, and risks connected with BYOD policies. By completing the training, you will learn the strategies that help safeguard sensitive information, recognize signs of malware infection, and prevent attacks. Also, you can always try SafeDNS web-filtering, which stops all threats before they reach your devices.

Join us and stay protected!