University handed out and distributed 38,000 new passwords due to malware infection


by

Logan Kirschner

At a German university where the system was infected with malware, as a precautionary measure, passwords were reset for a total of 38,000 email accounts, including students and staff. However, sending a new password by e-mail or the like was prohibited, so a huge number of stakeholders had to queue up to receive the password.

Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
https://www.uni-giessen.de/index.html



More than 38,000 people will stand in line this week to get a new password | ZDNet

https://www.zdnet.com/article/more-than-38000-people-will-stand-in-line-this-week-to-get-a-new-password/

In December 2019, a system at Justus Liebig University in Giessen , Hesse, Germany, was infected with malware. Although the specific malware type has not been announced, the university security staff determined that the infection could pose a risk to the entire system and took the university system offline on December 8.

The university scans computers disconnected from the Internet with anti-virus software stored in a USB memory. Computers caught by this scan were rendered unusable for the time being, and computers that passed were scanned for a second time with updated antivirus software.

In addition, university staff reset passwords on all student and staff email accounts as a precautionary measure, taking into account that malware infections could also affect university email servers. The total number of people whose passwords were reset by this measure is 38,000.


by

Oladimeji Ajegbile

With the reset of the old password, all students and staff have to receive a new password. However, in Germany, there is a law that 'Universities should not distribute new passwords by electronic means such as e-mail', so the university side cannot notify the officials of new passwords by e-mail or online. As a result, 38,000 stakeholders, including students and faculty, went to the university and received a new password directly from university staff.

According to a notification (PDF file) sent by the university to the people concerned, an ID card with a photo with an identification card such as a passport and a chip issued by Justus Liebig University is required to receive the password. All parties involved are categorized by “month of birth” and need to go to the university on the specified date and time of 5 days from December 16 to December 20, 2019 and have a new password distributed. That there is.



As a result, the birth date was somewhat relaxed, but many people still queued up to receive passwords. If you look at the images below, you can see the amazingly long procession actually made by the people of Justus Liebig University.




ZDNet , who reported this case, said, `` The security case at Justus Liebig University is a strange photo of 2019, with thousands of people queuing to get new passwords, coupled with odd legal requirements Was created. '

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in Software,   Web Service,   Security, Posted by log1h_ik