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A ransomware attack on the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research on February 8 has left the country’s largest scientific research funding agency unable to review and receive grant applications or communicate with applicants and grantees. According to a statement, NWO has refused to pay the ransom demanded by the DoppelPaymer hacker group “on fundamental grounds,” opting instead to rebuild its network, a process that could take weeks, Times Higher Education reports.
With its ransom demands unmet, the hacker group leaked NWO documents, including personal information about staff members, to the dark web on February 24, according to Times Higher Education. “Although NWO highly regrets the unfortunate situation of sensitive personnel documents being spread unauthorised, NWO will not alter its position,” the statement notes. As a public institute, the NWO cannot pay ransom to attackers, the Times Higher Education reports.
The security breach is the latest in ...
