[BreachExchange] Michigan State University Discloses E-Skimming Attack; Credit Card Information on 2,600 Customers Stolen

[Destry Winant]

https://securityboulevard.com/2020/08/michigan-state-university-discloses-e-skimming-attack-credit-card-information-on-2600-customers-stolen/

Michigan State University announced that it fell victim to an
e-skimming attack between October 2019 and June 2020, allowing
criminals to steal personal and financial information of around 2,600
shop.msu.edu customers.

The attackers were able to maintain unauthorized access for nine
months before university security teams became aware of the breach and
shut down the operation.

This extended period allowed perpetrators to inject thed website with
malicious code designed to gather and exfiltrate names, addresses and
credit card numbers of MSU shoppers. However, university officials
said no Social Security Numbers were compromised in the attack.

“An unauthorized party gained access to Michigan State University’s
online store, shop.msu.edu, and placed malicious code to expose
shoppers’ credit card numbers between Oct. 19, 2019 and June 26,
2020,” the MSU notification reads. “The intrusion was a result of a
vulnerability in the website which has since been addressed. Once the
university was notified, an initial investigation determined the
exposed information included names, addresses and credit card numbers
of about 2,600 customers. Once it became aware of the breach, the
university’s information security team promptly corrected the
vulnerability.”

MSU officials started to send out notifications to potentially
affected customers on August 10, offering free credit monitoring and
identity protection alongside additional security measures that they
can adopt to avoid further exposure.

IT professionals at MSU advise all customers to look out for phishing
emails, enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication on devices
and accounts, and create strong and unique passwords for all online
platforms.

“MSU has invested heavily in information security and will continue to
do so,” MSU Interim Chief Information Security Officer Daniel Ayala
said. “But investment alone is not enough. We must also continue to
educate our campus employees and our broader community. We are
recommitting ourselves to that important work, which is critical to
protecting all those who use our systems in today’s highly
technological society.”

Additionally, administrators of the online shop are required to
participate in mandatory advanced trainings to prevent similar
security incidents.