Scotland's university procurement center confirms cybercrooks broke in

Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC), Scotland's procurement center of expertise for universities and colleges, disclosed that cybercriminals infiltrated their systems in a cyberattack earlier this month. The breach occurred in mid-July and involved unauthorized access to historical data. An APUC spokesperson confirmed the intrusion, stating that immediate action was taken to contain the incident, and they were currently investigating the scope of the breach, collaborating with external technical specialists. No operational disruption to their day-to-day activities was reported.

According to a source that approached The Register, the attackers demanded an extortion payment from APUC, although this detail has not been independently verified. The attackers reportedly claimed to have stolen data dating back 20 years and gained administrative access through an employee account. The Register sought clarification from APUC regarding these claims, as well as information on whether ransomware was involved and whether they could identify any discrepancies in the provided information.

However, APUC did not address these questions at the time of writing. The organization's absence from major ransomware or extortion groups' data leak sites suggests they have not yet experienced the full impact of the breach.