Collaboration is critical in defending against cyberattacks

IU-based REN-ISAC leads workshops to tackle ransomware, blended threats

The recent Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack has highlighted the increasingly blended nature of cyberattacks, which interrupt not only information systems but also physical infrastructure. Higher education organizations are often the target for these blended threats.

Imagine a university that has been infiltrated by malicious ransomware. In addition to locking up institutional data, it can exploit vulnerable on-campus IoT devices, including HVAC systems in residence halls and research buildings—a blended threat.

Through collaboration and cooperation, the Research and Education Networks Information Sharing and Analysis Center (REN-ISAC) housed at Indiana University is helping universities in the U.S., Canada, and Australia to better prepare for this kind of attack.