Ransom Demanded by Funksec Ice Funksec, a hacking group that uses raw AI to create malware, announced that it had hacked the Sorbonne University, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities.
The attackers said they had stolen 20GB of data and were demanding an undisclosed ransom; Funksec posted the attack on Darknet Resources and gave the university 12 days to pay the ransom. Published screenshots show that the hackers may have exploited a vulnerability in Citrix to gain access to the university’s network. The stolen data could have included student and staff schedules, reports, and credentials. The Funksec group, which burst onto the cybercrime scene in November 2024, uses generative AI to create advanced ransomware variants. Over the past 12 months, they have attacked more than 160 targets in the education, finance, government and defense sectors. In the past month alone, their activity accounted for almost 19% of all ransomware attacks worldwide. Sorbonne University has already fallen victim to cybercriminals: in October 2024, hackers exposed the “non-confidential” data of 73,000 students and staff. The incident once again demonstrated that the university’s network remains vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The Funksec case highlights the growing threat of cybercrime, especially with the use of artificial intelligence. The use of generative AI to create viruses and malicious code poses new challenges for security professionals. Sorbonne University has not yet commented on the incident, but it could prompt a review of cybersecurity systems at educational institutions around the world.
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