Quick Facts

• Date: 10/6/2009
• Institution: Tufts University
• Type of Incident: Penetration
• Number Affected: None
• Source: ESI
• Abstract Source: Tufts Daily

Abstract
An external attack caused Tufts University to shut down their WebCenter service. The attack involved 100 Tufts University computers that were compromised and used to send out spam email messages. According to the University, Tufts staff worked to block attackers coming from three different countries. The attack was discovered on Sunday and continued through Monday as IT staff noticed spikes in traffic from the affected machines. The attack involved computers in the University's Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, the Tisch Library, Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs and Student Services (USS). The attack such a disruption that USS staff were sent home early if they felt they were not able to work productively. University staff worked to reinstall operating systems, increase password complexity and tweaked network controls. The WebCenter service was brought back online yesterday around 9pm.