Two-step verification to be implemented
RUG will better protect network from hackers
The University of Maastricht isn’t the only educational institute that got spooked by the hack that crippled their entire network. Other universities also quickly did a check of their digital systems. The RUG has decided to switch to two-step verification.
‘The damage we’d suffer if we were taken offline is too big to risk it’, said portfolio manager Hans Biemans with the university board during the university council committee meeting. ‘Anyone who wants to log on will also receive a code on their cell phone.’
Extra vulnerable
Just like many other large universities, the RUG is constantly under attack from hackers and phishing mails. So far, they’ve always been successful in fending off the attacks, but after Maastricht was forced to pay two hundred thousand euros to hackers, the university board is worried. ‘As a research university, we have a lot of research data and studies that run for years, which makes us extra vulnerable’, said Biemans.
The university also investigated whether they could insure themselves against a hacking. This is currently not easily done. At the very least, the university would be subjected to an audit, which would register all the risks and calculate ways to overcome these.
It’s not yet clear when the extra security step will be implemented. There were previous plans for two-step verification, but the project was postponed. That is no longer an option. Biemans: ‘This decision is supported.’