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A "cybercriminal AI" would have hacked the Paris-Sorbonne University

A "cybercriminal AI" would have hacked the Paris-Sorbonne University

Funksec, a hacking group specializing in ransomware attacks, claims to have hacked Paris-Sorbonne University. As researcher Clément Domingo noted on X, the gang lists the university among the victims on its website. The university has not yet confirmed or denied the cyberattack.

Passwords allegedly stolen

The gang claims to have stolen "20GB of data including plans, passwords, names", the cybersecurity expert reports. Funksec does not specify how the data was stolen. The cybercriminals are threatening to publish all the stolen data as early as Wednesday, March 19, 2025. The gang is encouraging Paris-Sorbonne University to pay a ransom, the amount of which remains unknown, to prevent the publication of the information on the dark web.

Mirror-like most of the major gangs in the ransomware world, Funksec practices double extortion. Hackers no longer simply encrypt data as it passes through their targets' systems. They first take advantage of this to exfiltrate sensitive information. They then threaten to distribute it on black markets, which increases the pressure on companies. The vast majority of hackers now do this. More and more often, cybercriminals no longer even bother to encrypt data. Simple exfiltration is more effective and faster.

AI and cybercrime

To orchestrate the cyberattack, Funksec is said to have used artificial intelligence. As reported by Clément Domingo, the gang has developed its own “cybercriminal AI” to facilitate its operations. Emerging last year, the group, made up of a quartet of hackers, stands out for its massive use of generative AI. According to the researcher, more than 30% of the gang's operational processes rely on AI. The hackers use AI in particular to design phishing messages or program tools.

Unsurprisingly, Funksec is not the only gang to have adopted AI. The entire ransomware industry is currently benefiting from the emergence of artificial intelligence. A study conducted by Acronis reveals that the number of attacks based on sending an email has exploded with “cybercriminals using generative AI to create more sophisticated malware and phishing campaigns”. The report points to the “alarming increase in attacks generated by artificial intelligence and the increasing sophistication of ransomware campaigns”. Armed with AI, hackers are becoming more and more formidable.

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