Israel’s Technion University hacked, attackers demand ransom in Bitcoin

A group of hackers have reportedly targeted computer servers at the Technion Institute of Technology, the Israeli regime's top technology school, saying the apartheid regime has to pay for its “lies and crimes.”

The Technion, a well-known center for cyber security education in the port city of Haifa, confirmed on Sunday that it has been the victim of a ransomware attack by a new group calling itself “Darkbit,” which apparently has ideological motives against Israel.

It also said that despite the cyber attack, classes at the Technion are taking place as usual. However, the students were asked to switch to taking notes by hand in an old-fashioned way, or at least disconnect their laptops from the university network and reduce email traffic until further notice.

So far the hackers have demanded 80 Bitcoins to unlock the data, with a threat to raise the amount by 30% if they do not receive the demanded sum within 48 hours.

In a ransom letter received from the hackers, they have written that ‘all’ Technion’s information has been transferred to their secure servers.

They have blamed the “apartheid regime” for the move, saying Israeli authorities "have to pay for the lies and the crimes."

Cyber experts are still trying to understand the scale of the attack, as the extent of the information leak is still unclear.

MG