Hackers have stolen applicant data from Ohio's Oberlin College, Iowa-based Grinnell College and New York's Hamilton College and are seeking money from students to recover their records.
Hackers recently targeted Oberlin University, Grinnell College and Hamilton College, stealing information about students applying to their schools, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the newspaper, the hackers were able to trick university staff members into providing passwords, which allowed them to access databases that held information from student applicants.
The hackers were demanding one bitcoin — about $3,800 at the moment — from students to retrieve their “admission file,” which includes teacher recommendations and comments from the admissions department, among other data.
According to the Journal, the admissions processes at each selected college were conducted using the Slate platform, from Technosolutions. After the hackers obtained the passwords that allowed them to access the college networks, they allegedly targeted the Slate software to obtain student information.
Alexander Clark, CEO of Technosolutions, told the Journal that the company is in contact with the three targeted universities. Clark said he has asked the schools to “review their single sign-on and password reset security practices.”.
The colleges told the Journal that they are investigating the incident and notifying affected students.
