Local university victim of ransomware attack

TYLER — The University of Texas at Tyler says it was the target of a ransomware attack. According to our news partner KETK, in a letter to university supporters, school president Dr. Michael Tidwell said the university was notified by Blackbaud, a third-party database provider, of a “security incident” that occurred in May. Blackbaud provides software and online apps that support philanthropic and communication activities, serving a host of clients that include most of the University of Texas system. According to Tidwell’s letter, Blackbaud discovered “and was able to stop” a ransomware attack in May. In the attack, “a cybercriminal accessed copies of some customer files containing constituent information,” Tidwell’s letter says. “Blackbaud worked with security experts and law enforcement to respond to the ransom threat and they report having received confirmation that the stolen data was destroyed and not used by the cybercriminal.” No credit card information, bank information, or Social Security numbers were accessed by the cybercriminals, Blackbaud says. Tidwell says Blackbaud has implemented several security changes to protect constituent data from any subsequent incidents.