20 - Case scenario

The story of the course is placed in the midst of imaginary events in modern times.

On Monday 2 November 2020, the Swiss University of Kybereo and the Italian train company CyberRails sign a mutual partnership agreement to launch research and development co-operation. By agreement, the parties express their intention to develop train connections and improve rail traffic. In the name of co-operation, the parties expect to share information with each other openly.

When the agreement comes to light, WTV News reports on the event on a live TV broadcast. Christopher Ackermann, a professor at the University of Kybereo, tells journalist Olivia Keller that combining large masses of data will help predict travel flows and optimize train traffic. For this purpose new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning will be used.

After the news broadcast, the University of Kybereo is showing signs of a phishing campaign. The events come to the fore when a university employee Amelie Orth reports a suspicious e-mail sent on behalf of the university’s IT management. The message directs the recipient to click on the link that takes them to the university intranet site or its look-alike.

Out of the ordinary, the site requests the user authentication, which makes the advertiser suspicious.

Have the information systems of Kybereo been hacked? Can you figure out what this is all about?