Cyberattacks can bring down large institutions, and their negative impact affects thousands of people who trusted them with their data and heavily relied on the services they offered.
The renowned Lincoln College was founded in 1865 on the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, one of the figures responsible for the American Constitution and the achievement of civil rights.
It became famous for including the black population in higher education, seeking to generate opportunities in rural Illinois, which grew after its inauguration.
Despite keeping up with technological advancements by digitizing files and automating processes, a lack of attention to network security systems has left information vulnerable.
The organization was the victim of a ransomware attack, which completely invades servers and blocks access for users, making data recovery difficult.
This made it impossible to identify the university's 600 students, important records such as enrollment and grades were lost, and it also prevented the recovery of financial resources used to maintain academic activities.
The problem began in December 2021, and in four months it has not been possible to reverse the consequences of the invasion, with no concrete suspects yet identified, although political motives are suspected.
The closure of Lincoln College demonstrates how a hacker attack can shatter thousands of dreams.
Experienced in dealing with conflicts, having faced two world wars, epidemics such as the Spanish flu, and the financial crisis of the Great Depression, the restrictions of the pandemic caused unexpected strain.
Combined with the effects of Covid-19, the cyberattack disrupted the school's administration, representing a historic loss for the history of education in the USA.
Professors and members of Lincoln College lamented what happened, and in a statement addressed to the community, the university president expressed sadness and frustration.
"The loss of history, careers, and a community of students and alumni is immense." David Gerlach stated in a speech to the audience.
In trying to overcome this difficult time, the institution spent a lot of money and still did not achieve results.
Initially, US$100.000 was spent in an attempt to revitalize the databases and stop further attacks; however, the resource used was not ordinary malware, but rather potentially destructive software.
On social media, the mobilization started with some groups that raised the hashtag #SaveLiccolnCollege, and in an official post, Elon Musk was tagged because he could help with donations.
A campaign was launched on GoFundMe in an attempt to raise funds, with an initial goal of US$20 million that was nowhere near being reached.
According to a survey by Emsisoft, a data protection specialist, at least 1.034 educational institutions worldwide were targeted by similar attacks in the last year.
This reveals a lack of preparedness on the part of large universities that still do not have a reliable security system protected by state-of-the-art encryption, and alerts any corporation to create concrete measures involving privacy safeguards.
