Lincoln College to Close after 157 Years Following Cyber Attack

History is a wonderful teacher. We learn from experiences. Often we learn more from misfortune and hardships than we do from the smooth and steady times.
Lincoln College, a historically black college in Illinois, has triumphed over many obstacles in its 157-year history. Founded in 1865 and named after then-president Abraham Lincoln (the only college named for President Lincoln during his lifetime), Lincoln College has grown and overcome many hurdles from economic to health crises and more.
Economic crises during 1887, the Great Depression and 2008; a major campus fire in 1912; World War II; and, global pandemics such as the Spanish Flu in 1918 have all been hardships that Lincoln College has overcome.
By the fall of 2019, the college had just reached record-breaking enrollment. Student housing was a maximum capacity. The future looked bright.
But by early the next spring, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Lincoln College once again had to navigate a tough time in its history.
Just as everyone else in the world had to adapt to the changes required by the pandemic, Lincoln College also had to make unexpected investments in technology and student safety measures. Additionally, enrollment declined considerably which affected the level of income for the college.
While struggling to survive through the pandemic, the death blow came in December 2021 when Lincoln College joined the ever-growing club of cyber attack victims. The attack impeded access to all institutional data and impacted all admissions functions. For four long months, they were unable to access recruitment, retention, and fundraising processes. The systems were not fully restored until March 2022.
The college was forced to make a decision that not only ended careers and impacted the studies of its students, it also marked the end of a historical symbol of endurance and triumph for a school that served students for over 157 years. As of today, May 13, 2022, Lincoln College has closed for good.
The fact that a cyber attack could take down an institution that had stood for over a century and a half overcoming tremendous adversity – financial stressors, fire, pandemics, war – is not only heartbreaking on so many levels by frightening to think of the damage it could do to our world.
“Lincoln College has been serving students from across the globe for more than 157 years,” said David Gerlach, president of Lincoln College. “The loss of history, careers and a community of students and alumni is immense.”
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TIP OF THE WEEK
Make Cyber Security Training Meaningful
If your organization’s cyber security awareness training program is not ingrained into your company culture and made personal to your employees, no amount of training will be successful. Here are some tips to make it meaningful and effective:
1 – Start security training from their first day on the job
2 – Have a formal security training plan
3 – Explain why it’s important for them to be part of the security team
4 – Use a variety of training types
5 – Use simulations
6 – Implement frequent reminders of security via updates, messaging, etc.
7 – Reward employees for making notifications of suspicious emails, links, activity, etc., and DO NOT punish them if they inadvertently click on a link in a simulation email
Remember that cyber security is not a destination, it is a journey.
VOCABULARY WORD
Firewall: Hardware, software or cloud-based tool that acts as an intermediary between the internal network and the outside traffic which monitors access attempts and blocks unwanted and unrecognized traffic from accessing your network.
CYBER HUMOR