Michigan State University Company Cyber Security Posture

msu.edu

A top global public university, MSU is home to 400+ academic programs. Spartans Will.

MSU Company Details

Linkedin ID:

michigan-state-university

Employees number:

25302 employees

Number of followers:

576108.0

NAICS:

611

Industry Type:

Higher Education

Homepage:

msu.edu

IP Addresses:

Scan still pending

Company ID:

MIC_1059546

Scan Status:

In-progress

AI scoreMSU Risk Score (AI oriented)

Between 800 and 900

This score is AI-generated and less favored by cyber insurers, who prefer the TPRM score.

Ailogo

Michigan State University Company Scoring based on AI Models

Model NameDateDescriptionCurrent Score DifferenceScore
AVERAGE-Industry03-12-2025

This score represents the average cybersecurity rating of companies already scanned within the same industry. It provides a benchmark to compare an individual company's security posture against its industry peers.

N/A

Between 800 and 900

Michigan State University Company Cyber Security News & History

Past Incidents
3
Attack Types
2
EntityTypeSeverityImpactSeenUrl IDDetailsView
Michigan State UniversityBreach60310/2016MIC1115311023Link
Rankiteo Explanation :
Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks

Description: The youthful cybercriminal Mys7erioN declared that he had breached the database of Michigan State University, a US organisation. The exposed information includes names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, and encrypted passwords, was made public on Pastebin by Mys7erioN as evidence of the hack. There appears to be an updated user list in one of the tables, gelstaff_mp2016. Additionally, the hacker posted the dataโ€”roughly 500 login credentials and 222 personal detailsโ€”on Pastebin. The hacker found a SQL injection vulnerability in Michigan State University's systems while browsing many websites.

Michigan State UniversityBreach100511/2016MIC22151123Link
Rankiteo Explanation :
Attack threatening the organizationโ€™s existence

Description: The Michigan State University was breached by cybercriminals who attempted to blackmail the institution by attempting to profit from the hacking of a database that held 400,000 records of students and employees. An unauthorised entity gained access to one of the organization's servers, according to Michigan State University, which reported a data breach. There were names, social security numbers, and MSU identifying numbers of some current and past students and staff members in the database, which held over 400,000 information. Passwords, financial, educational, contact, or health information were not included. Upon finding the intrusion, the institution stated it immediately pulled the impacted database down and ascertained that the hackers had only seen 449 documents out of the total.

Michigan State UniversityRansomware100505/2020MIC021281222Link
Rankiteo Explanation :
Attack threatening the organizationโ€™s existence

Description: Michigan State University fell victim to the Netwalker ransomware group and the group also gave them a deadline to pay ransomware attackers under the threat that they will leak the files stolen from the institutionโ€™s network to the public. The group also posted images with directories, a passport scan, and two financial documents allegedly stolen from the universityโ€™s network as proof. The researchers also discovered individual samples of the Zeppelin Windows ransomware and the Smaug Linux ransomware as well in the systems.

Michigan State University Company Subsidiaries

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A top global public university, MSU is home to 400+ academic programs. Spartans Will.

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MSU Cyber Security News

2025-07-09T08:32:51.000Z
Hospitals can fight cybercriminals by prioritizing security of billing data, not medical records

Health care cybersecurity policy rests on a fundamental misunderstanding of what cybercriminals actually want. For years, regulators andย ...

2025-05-15T07:00:00.000Z
MSU study: Ransomware drives US health data breaches

Healthcare organizations operate under immense pressure, and ransomware attacks don't just breach patient privacyโ€”they disrupt service delivery,ย ...

2025-01-10T08:00:00.000Z
Michigan Department of Corrections gets cybercrime training at Michigan State University

Sexual offenses are increasing, according to MSU Criminal Justice professor and cyber victimization expert, Karen Holt, and mostly involveย ...

2025-05-30T07:00:00.000Z
MSU hosts cybersecurity conference

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) โ€” Be careful who you talk to online. That's one of the key takeaways from a cybersecurity conference held at Michiganย ...

2025-01-22T08:00:00.000Z
Ferris Stateโ€™s Master of Information Security and Intelligence program among nationโ€™s elite in US News and World Report rankings

Ferris State University's Information Security and Intelligence program is one of the best in the nation according to rankings from U.S. Newsย ...

2025-04-21T07:00:00.000Z
MSU launches new degree program to blend engineering, computer science

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) โ€” Michigan State University has formally introduced a new degree program meant to blend mechanical, electrical andย ...

2025-03-21T07:00:00.000Z
Michigan community colleges recovering from cyber attacks

From network breaches to full-campus shutdowns, such incidents raise alarms about the vulnerabilities in the digital infrastructure of higher educationย ...

2024-10-21T04:15:25.000Z
Michigan State University hacked; 400,000 records stolen

Earlier this month, 400,000 student, alumni and employee records were leaked following a major data breach at Michigan State. โ€œThe 400,000 individuals includeย ...

2025-05-25T07:00:00.000Z
New MSU study: Ransomware a leading cause of U.S. health data breaches

According to researchers from Michigan State University, Yale and Johns Hopkins, ransomware is now the leading culprit behind U.S. healthย ...

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faq

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore insights on cybersecurity incidents, risk posture, and Rankiteo's assessments.

MSU CyberSecurity History Information

How many cyber incidents has MSU faced?

Total Incidents: According to Rankiteo, MSU has faced 3 incidents in the past.

What types of cybersecurity incidents have occurred at MSU?

Incident Types: The types of cybersecurity incidents that have occurred incidents Ransomware and Breach.

How does MSU detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents?

Detection and Response: The company detects and responds to cybersecurity incidents through containment measures with Database taken offline.

Incident Details

Can you provide details on each incident?

Incident : Data Breach

Title: Michigan State University Data Breach

Description: Michigan State University was breached by cybercriminals who attempted to blackmail the institution by profiting from the hacking of a database that held 400,000 records of students and employees.

Type: Data Breach

Attack Vector: Unauthorized Access

Threat Actor: Unauthorized Entity

Motivation: Blackmail, Financial Gain

Incident : Data Breach

Title: Michigan State University Database Breach

Description: The youthful cybercriminal Mys7erioN declared that he had breached the database of Michigan State University, a US organisation. The exposed information includes names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, and encrypted passwords, was made public on Pastebin by Mys7erioN as evidence of the hack. There appears to be an updated user list in one of the tables, gelstaff_mp2016. Additionally, the hacker posted the dataโ€”roughly 500 login credentials and 222 personal detailsโ€”on Pastebin. The hacker found a SQL injection vulnerability in Michigan State University's systems while browsing many websites.

Type: Data Breach

Attack Vector: SQL Injection

Vulnerability Exploited: SQL Injection

Threat Actor: Mys7erioN

Incident : Ransomware

Title: Ransomware Attack on Michigan State University

Description: Michigan State University fell victim to the Netwalker ransomware group and the group also gave them a deadline to pay ransomware attackers under the threat that they will leak the files stolen from the institutionโ€™s network to the public. The group also posted images with directories, a passport scan, and two financial documents allegedly stolen from the universityโ€™s network as proof. Researchers also discovered individual samples of the Zeppelin Windows ransomware and the Smaug Linux ransomware as well in the systems.

Type: Ransomware

Attack Vector: Netwalker Ransomware, Zeppelin Windows Ransomware, Smaug Linux Ransomware

Threat Actor: Netwalker Ransomware Group

Motivation: Financial Gain

What are the most common types of attacks the company has faced?

Common Attack Types: The most common types of attacks the company has faced is Breach.

Impact of the Incidents

What was the impact of each incident?

Incident : Data Breach MIC22151123

Data Compromised: Names, Social Security Numbers, MSU Identifying Numbers

Systems Affected: Server

Incident : Data Breach MIC1115311023

Data Compromised: names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, encrypted passwords

Incident : Ransomware MIC021281222

Data Compromised: Directories, Passport Scan, Financial Documents

What types of data are most commonly compromised in incidents?

Commonly Compromised Data Types: The types of data most commonly compromised in incidents are Names, Social Security Numbers, MSU Identifying Numbers, names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, encrypted passwords, Directories, Passport Scan and Financial Documents.

Which entities were affected by each incident?

Incident : Data Breach MIC22151123

Entity Type: Educational Institution

Industry: Education

Location: Michigan, USA

Incident : Data Breach MIC1115311023

Entity Type: Educational Institution

Industry: Education

Location: Michigan, USA

Incident : Ransomware MIC021281222

Entity Type: Educational Institution

Industry: Education

Location: Michigan, USA

Response to the Incidents

What measures were taken in response to each incident?

Incident : Data Breach MIC22151123

Containment Measures: Database taken offline

Data Breach Information

What type of data was compromised in each breach?

Incident : Data Breach MIC22151123

Type of Data Compromised: Names, Social Security Numbers, MSU Identifying Numbers

Number of Records Exposed: 449

Sensitivity of Data: High

Personally Identifiable Information: True

Incident : Data Breach MIC1115311023

Type of Data Compromised: names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, encrypted passwords

Number of Records Exposed: 500 login credentials, 222 personal details

Incident : Ransomware MIC021281222

Type of Data Compromised: Directories, Passport Scan, Financial Documents

Data Exfiltration: Yes

Personally Identifiable Information: Yes

How does the company handle incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII)?

Handling of PII Incidents: The company handles incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII) through was Database taken offline.

Ransomware Information

Was ransomware involved in any of the incidents?

Incident : Ransomware MIC021281222

Ransomware Strain: ['Netwalker', 'Zeppelin', 'Smaug']

Data Exfiltration: Yes

Additional Questions

General Information

Who was the attacking group in the last incident?

Last Attacking Group: The attacking group in the last incident were an Unauthorized Entity, Mys7erioN and Netwalker Ransomware Group.

Impact of the Incidents

What was the most significant data compromised in an incident?

Most Significant Data Compromised: The most significant data compromised in an incident were Names, Social Security Numbers, MSU Identifying Numbers, names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, encrypted passwords, Directories, Passport Scan and Financial Documents.

What was the most significant system affected in an incident?

Most Significant System Affected: The most significant system affected in an incident was Server.

Response to the Incidents

What containment measures were taken in the most recent incident?

Containment Measures in Most Recent Incident: The containment measures taken in the most recent incident was Database taken offline.

Data Breach Information

What was the most sensitive data compromised in a breach?

Most Sensitive Data Compromised: The most sensitive data compromised in a breach were Names, Social Security Numbers, MSU Identifying Numbers, names, logins, phone numbers, published emails, encrypted passwords, Directories, Passport Scan and Financial Documents.

What was the number of records exposed in the most significant breach?

Number of Records Exposed in Most Significant Breach: The number of records exposed in the most significant breach was 1.2K.

What Do We Measure?

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Incident
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Finding
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Grade
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Digital Assets

Every week, Rankiteo analyzes billions of signals to give organizations a sharper, faster view of emerging risks. With deeper, more actionable intelligence at their fingertips, security teams can outpace threat actors, respond instantly to Zero-Day attacks, and dramatically shrink their risk exposure window.

These are some of the factors we use to calculate the overall score:

Network Security

Identify exposed access points, detect misconfigured SSL certificates, and uncover vulnerabilities across the network infrastructure.

SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)

Gain visibility into the software components used within an organization to detect vulnerabilities, manage risk, and ensure supply chain security.

CMDB (Configuration Management Database)

Monitor and manage all IT assets and their configurations to ensure accurate, real-time visibility across the company's technology environment.

Threat Intelligence

Leverage real-time insights on active threats, malware campaigns, and emerging vulnerabilities to proactively defend against evolving cyberattacks.

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