When a big school in Barcelona called the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was hit by hackers in 2021, it was a huge shock. These hackers locked up the school’s computer systems and asked for money to unlock them. But, the school was ready. They had practiced for this kind of situation, like a fire drill, but for computers.

Even though the attack happened when people were likely away for a holiday, the school’s team quickly came together. They worked hard to figure out what to do. They even set up a simple website and a messaging group, so they could keep everyone updated about what was happening.

The school decided not to pay the hackers. They stood strong because they had backups of their data, and it was illegal for them to pay such a huge amount without following specific rules. With help from security experts and tech companies, they started to bring their systems back. They checked everything to make sure no hidden tricks were left by the hackers. It took a few weeks to get most things working again and a few months for everything to be back to normal.

From this scary experience, the school learned a lot. They realized it was important to be able to quickly make big decisions and that having different kinds of protection at different points in their systems was critical. The school also learned they needed to modernize their equipment and make sure things like two-factor authentication – a kind of double-lock for accounts – were used everywhere.

Now, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has someone specifically in charge of keeping their information safe, called a CISO, which they didn’t have before. They know they need to put more money and effort into protecting their computers and data.

You can read the full story of what happened and how they dealt with it in detail here:
www.csoonline.com/article/3600553/how-a-university-in-barcelona-dealt-with-a-ransomware-attack.html

If you’re worried about keeping your own business safe from these kinds of attacks, Diversified Outlook Group can help. They understand the importance of preparation and having multi-layered security measures. Whether you’re a big university or a small business, they have the know-how to protect you. To learn more about how they can keep your data safe, reach out to them at support@diversifiedoutlookgroup.com.