Texas Tech University - Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (CISI) Breach Incident Score: Analysis & Impact (TTU1765375614)

In this Rankiteo incident briefing, we review the Texas Tech University - Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (CISI) breach identified under incident ID TTU1765375614.

The analysis begins with a detailed overview of Texas Tech University - Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (CISI)'s information like the linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ttu-cisi, the number of followers: 108, the industry type: Research Services and the number of employees: 2 employees

After the initial compromise, the video explains how Rankiteo's incident engine converts technical details into a normalized incident score. The incident score before the incident was 749 and after the incident was 732 with a difference of -17 which is could be a good indicator of the severity and impact of the incident.

In the next step of the video, we will analyze in more details the incident and the impact it had on Texas Tech University - Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (CISI) and their customers.

On 08 October 2024, U.S. Water Systems disclosed DDoS, Cyberattack on Industrial Controls and Data Breach issues under the banner "Charges Against Ukrainian National for Cyberattacks on U.S. Critical Infrastructure by Russian State-Backed Hacktivist Groups".

U.S.

The disruption is felt across the environment, affecting Water Systems, Election Infrastructure and Nuclear Regulatory Entities.

Formal response steps have not been shared publicly yet.

The case underscores how Ongoing (Trial Scheduled for February 2026 and April 2026), with advisories going out to stakeholders covering CISA, FBI, NSA, and international agencies have issued warnings about pro-Russia hacktivist groups targeting critical infrastructure.

Finally, we try to match the incident with the MITRE ATT&CK framework to see if there is any correlation between the incident and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of techniques and sub-techniques that are used to describe the tactics and procedures of cyber adversaries. It is a powerful tool for understanding the threat landscape and for developing effective defense strategies.

Rankiteo's analysis has identified several MITRE ATT&CK tactics and techniques associated with this incident, each with varying levels of confidence based on available evidence. Under the Initial Access tactic, the analysis identified Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating dDoSia custom DDoS tool targeting critical infrastructure and Trusted Relationship (T1199) with moderate to high confidence (80%), supported by evidence indicating gRU-backed CARR with state-sanctioned direction and funding. Under the Impact tactic, the analysis identified Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499) with high confidence (95%), supported by evidence indicating dDoS attacks on water systems, election infrastructure, and nuclear entities, Damage to Property (T0883) with high confidence (90%), supported by evidence indicating ammonia leak at meat processing facility, water spillage, and Defacement (T1491) with moderate confidence (60%), supported by evidence indicating hacktivist groups claiming responsibility for attacks. Under the Resource Development tactic, the analysis identified Malware: Malware Development (T1583.008) with high confidence (90%), supported by evidence indicating development of DDoSia custom DDoS tool by NoName057(16) and Code Signing Certificates: Development (T1587.001) with moderate confidence (50%), supported by evidence indicating state-backed groups likely using signed tools for legitimacy. Under the Command and Control tactic, the analysis identified Ingress Tool Transfer (T1105) with moderate to high confidence (80%), supported by evidence indicating dDoS-for-hire operations imply tool distribution to volunteers and Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols (T1071.001) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating telegram coordination for attack planning and execution. Under the Reconnaissance tactic, the analysis identified Vulnerability Scanning (T1595.002) with moderate to high confidence (70%), supported by evidence indicating targeting of high-value critical infrastructure implies prior scanning. These correlations help security teams understand the attack chain and develop appropriate defensive measures based on the observed tactics and techniques.