Knowledge Held Hostage: What the British Library Ransomware Attack Can Teach Us

Abstract

The British Library hack and its response serve as a clear example of the vulnerability of institutions of higher learning to such attacks and the importance of maintaining an open dialogue with the public during recovery. This open dialogue is currently lacking as universities attempt to move on and cover up these attacks quickly. This paper aims to start the conversation by providing three examples of institutions that went through a hack that left their services down for a significant period, how it affected those they serve, how they responded, and what information was made public.