La Sapienza University in Rome, one of Europe's largest educational institutions with approximately 120,000 students, has faced significant operational challenges following a cyber incident that has rendered its computer systems inoperative for three days.
In a recent update shared on Instagram, the university announced that it proactively shut down its systems after the cyber event, stating that an investigation is underway to assess the situation and restore digital services. During this period, some communication channels, including email and workstations, are experiencing partial limitations.
The university is actively working to recover its systems using backups that remain unaffected by the attack. However, as of now, the official website of La Sapienza is still inaccessible.
According to reports from a prominent Italian news outlet, the disruption is linked to a ransomware attack. Although the university has not confirmed this detail, it is alleged that hackers sent a ransom request to the institution, initiating a countdown of 72 hours upon accessing the link.
La Sapienza has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the incident, and it remains unclear whether the university can currently receive emails.
Italy's national cybersecurity agency is investigating the matter, but representatives have not provided immediate comments regarding the nature of the attack.
In a separate report, it was revealed that the hacking group involved is identified as "Femwar02," which was previously unknown. The group reportedly utilized a malware variant known as BabLock, discovered in 2023.
Despite the ongoing challenges, La Sapienza has assured that exams will continue as scheduled, with students required to coordinate directly with professors for registration. The university has also established information points across the campus to assist students during this period.
Universities, including La Sapienza, are increasingly becoming targets for cybercriminals, as evidenced by previous incidents affecting institutions like Harvard University.