Brinztech Alert: The Alleged Database of Kemahasiswaan Mitra is Leaked

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a targeted data breach involving Kemahasiswaan Mitra, a student affairs portal likely associated with an Indonesian higher education institution. A threat actor identified as “CY8ER N4TI0N Catgun”—a group recently active in other regional breaches—is claiming responsibility on a hacker forum.

The leak is distributed via a text file named “kemahasiswaan_mitra.txt”. The file size is approximately 23.92 KB. While small, this file likely serves as a “proof of concept” or a targeted extraction of specific tables (e.g., administrator credentials or a scholarship recipient list) rather than a full database dump. The data was reportedly announced on the “KLIK Catspin” channel.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

Breaches of “Kemahasiswaan” (Student Affairs) portals are critical because these systems often manage non-academic but highly sensitive aspects of student life:

• Scholarship & Tuition Fraud: These portals typically handle Scholarship Applications and Tuition Relief requests. If the leaked text file contains the identities of financial aid recipients, scammers can contact them posing as university staff: “Your scholarship is pending. Please transfer an administrative fee to finalize the process.”
• The “Catgun” Pattern: The actor “CY8ER N4TI0N Catgun” has been linked to other recent breaches (e.g., UKRIM, Aeromexico). This pattern suggests a sustained campaign against Indonesian infrastructure and educational bodies, likely motivated by hacktivism or reputation building rather than financial extortion.
• Proof of Concept Risks: A 24KB file can hold roughly 500-1,000 lines of text. If this text is a list of Username:Password hashes for the portal’s admin panel, the attackers (or anyone who downloads the file) could gain full control over the system, allowing them to modify student records or post fake announcements.
• Academic Identity Theft: Student data is valuable for creating fake IDs or registering for online services that require .ac.id email verification (like discounted software or streaming services).

Mitigation Strategies

To protect the student body and institutional data, the following strategies are recommended:

• File Analysis: The IT administration must immediately acquire and analyze "kemahasiswaan_mitra.txt" to determine if it contains student PII (names, NIM) or system credentials.
• Credential Reset: Force a password reset for all users of the Kemahasiswaan portal, particularly for administrative accounts that manage content.
• Portal Vulnerability Scan: Scan the portal for common vulnerabilities (SQL Injection, XSS) that the “Catgun” actor likely exploited to extract the text file.
• Student Advisory: proactive communication is key. Warn students that their data may have been exposed and to be wary of unsolicited messages regarding their student status or fees.

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