Ransomware attack shuts down 500 servers at Osaka Metropolitan University

TLDR

• Osaka Metropolitan University suspended classes across all faculties after a ransomware attack disabled about 500 servers and core campus systems.
• The disruption began on 2 October when the university's core network failed; the university confirmed at an 5 October press conference it was a ransomware attack.
• Attackers also encrypted much of the university's backup data, leaving class and assignment systems, email and digital student IDs unusable.
• At least 130,000 records belonging to students, graduates and staff may be affected; the university has not disclosed whether a ransom was demanded or confirmed any data was taken.

The university said the large-scale system failure that began on 2 October was believed to have been caused by a ransomware attack from outside the institution, with about 500 servers and related systems stopping simultaneously.¹ University email services were disrupted and students lost access to digital timetables, assignment systems and their digital student IDs.¹ Classes at all faculties were cancelled through 8 October, with the university aiming to resume in-person teaching on 9 October.¹

Outside cybersecurity specialists are investigating with no recovery timetable yet given, and officials have not disclosed whether attackers made a ransom demand or confirmed that data was taken.² Systems across the university's five campuses in Osaka, Sakai and Izumisano, including networks, email, portals and teaching-administration tools, remain largely unavailable, and the university's hospital and veterinary websites are also down, though electronic medical records remain operational and patient care continues.² The university said at least 130,000 records of personal information belonging to students, graduates, faculty and staff were on the affected systems, and it is investigating whether any of that information was leaked.¹

Why it matters: a ransomware attack that also encrypted backup data, not just production systems, shows why universities running large, loosely segmented campus networks remain attractive, hard-to-recover targets, with the knock-on effect here reaching patient-facing hospital services as well as teaching.