A university had to hand out paper passwords to 38,000 students and staff after being hacked

Arne Dedert/Getty Images

A classroom at Justus Liebig University, which was the victim of a cyber attack.

• Germany's Justus Liebig University was forced to distribute new email passwords to all 38,000 students and staff by hand this week after it faced an attack by hackers.
• Issuing new passwords took more than a week, according to ZDNet. The ordeal illustrates how a coordinated malware attack can bring an entire institution to a grinding halt.
• The abnormal cybersecurity measure was due in part to a German law that prevents schools from sending out new passwords electronically.
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A malware attack against a German university has led to a logistical nightmare for students and staff, who have been unable to access the university's network for weeks, ZDNet first reported.

In the wake of the attack, students and staff at Justus Liebig University, also known as the University of Giessen, had to wait in line to recieve their new email passwords on paper, thanks in part to a German law that prevents universities from communicating password changes electronically.

The practice of physically handing out passwords is notable for its abundance of caution, enforced by German laws. It also illustrates how a coordinated malware attack can bring an entire institution to a grinding halt.

The university took its network offline on Dec. 8 due to a malware attack, according to its website, delaying registration for upcoming courses.

Following the attack, all university-owned laptops had to go through two virus scans using antivirus software installed on USB drives, after which they were marked with two green stickers to ensure they're safe.

The process of handing out new passwords was expected to take an entire week, according to the university. The university said in a tweet that it was pressing charges for the cyber attack.

The University in Gießen, Germany had a security incident that required resetting the passwords of 38000 students. Students are lining up to get their new passwords on paper, after identity verification. More about the incident on the bottom of this page: https://t.co/uMBOi2MpJr pic.twitter.com/QEKcPMZ2Sk

- svbl (@svblxyz) December 17, 2019

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