Italian university La Sapienza still offline to mitigate recent cyber attack

Since 2 February 2026, Rome’s La Sapienza University has remained offline after a cyberattack disrupted IT systems and halted essential services, leaving students unable to book exams, check tuition payments, or access faculty contacts. The university has communicated mainly via social media, offering limited details and no clear restoration timeline, while confirming it was a victim of a cyber attack and that its infrastructure was shut down to mitigate the threat and prevent spread.

Public reports have linked the incident to a ransomware operation, with media noting a new Russian group tracked as Femwar02 behind the attack and describing a next-generation strain known as Bablock used in 2025 as part of the breach. The security breach is being investigated by university technicians, with the aim of determining the scope and restoring data from backups, though it remains unclear how complete those backups may be.

The university has reported the incident to law enforcement and to ACN, the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency, which are involved in the response, and warned that Infopoints cannot provide further information that would normally require access to digital systems. according to Security Affairs