One of Europe’s biggest universities, La Sapienza University of Rome, was forced offline for several days following a cyberattack that disrupted critical digital services and limited communication across campus.
Campus Systems Taken Down After Attack
La Sapienza, which serves well over 100,000 students, shut down its IT infrastructure as a precaution after detecting a cyberattack that affected internal systems, email access, and digital platforms used by staff and students. TechCrunch revealed that the university’s systems were offline for at least three days, with services only partially available as teams worked to restore operations.
The institution said it deliberately disconnected parts of its network to protect data integrity while investigating the incident and recovering services. BleepingComputer reported that the shutdown caused widespread disruption, including limited access to databases and online tools that students rely on daily.
The website itself remained down during the outage, underscoring the scale of the disruption.
Ransomware Suspected but Not Confirmed
The exact nature of the attack has not been officially confirmed. Local Italian media linked the disruption to a possible ransomware attempt, though university officials and national authorities had not formally verified that claim at the time of reporting.
Authorities and technical teams were working to restore systems from backups that were not affected by the breach. The university also created temporary on-site information points to support students while digital services remained unavailable.
Security agencies in Italy were reportedly involved in the response, highlighting the seriousness of the incident.
Why It Matters
The outage highlights how dependent large academic institutions have become on digital infrastructure. Universities handle massive volumes of sensitive data, from student records to research material, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals.
When systems go down, the impact goes beyond inconvenience. Communication, enrollment processes, and administrative operations can slow or stop entirely. Even when core activities like classes and exams continue, the loss of digital tools forces temporary workarounds that affect students and faculty alike.
The attack also reflects a broader pattern. Educational institutions have increasingly become targets of cyberattacks in recent years, partly due to their large networks and distributed systems that can be difficult to secure.
What’s Next
La Sapienza said it was working to restore affected systems using backups while investigating the incident and strengthening defenses. TechCrunch reported that some services remained partially limited as restoration efforts continued.
It remains unclear whether any data was accessed or stolen, and officials have not publicly confirmed the attackers’ identity. Authorities are continuing to assess the scope of the breach and monitor for additional risks.
The incident is likely to prompt further scrutiny of cybersecurity practices in universities across Europe, especially as institutions become more reliant on digital platforms for learning, research, and administration.
