US college set to permanently close after 157 years, following ransomware attack

A college, based in Illinois, USA, is closing its doors after 157 years - citing the challenges it faced due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and the aftermath of a ransomware attack. But it was in December of that year that Lincoln College fell victim to a ransomware attack that "thwarted admissions activities and hindered access to all institutional data, creating an unclear picture of Fall 2022 enrollment projections."

According to the college's press release, the ransomware attack encrypted important data meaning that "all systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were inoperable."

As Lincoln College president David Gerlach told EdScoop last month, the ransomware attack meant that admissions applications could not be entered onto IT systems, and "you can't recruit students." And although Lincoln College decided to pay a ransom to its attackers ("significantly" below the initial demand for US $100,000, according to Gerlach), the college's activities were still massively disrupted.

Read more about it: here.