GaboonGrabber Scenario: StateU Financial Aid Crisis
Scenario Details for IMs
Opening Presentation
“It’s Wednesday afternoon at StateU, and the financial aid office is in crisis mode. Spring semester aid disbursements must be completed by Friday to ensure students can pay summer housing deposits and register for fall classes. But starting yesterday, multiple computers in the financial aid office have been running slowly, and both staff and students are reporting issues with ‘financial aid processing software’ that appeared after responding to what seemed like urgent FAFSA system updates.”
Initial Symptoms to Present:
- “Financial aid office computers running 40% slower during peak processing time”
- “Students calling about ‘new financial aid software’ requiring personal information updates”
- “Staff report receiving ‘emergency FAFSA processing’ emails Tuesday evening”
- “University ID card systems experiencing intermittent connectivity issues”
Key Discovery Paths:
Detective Investigation Leads:
- Email forensics reveal sophisticated spoofing of federal financial aid system communications
- File analysis discovers “FAFSAProcessor.exe” and “AidDisbursement.exe” in financial aid workstations
- Log analysis shows unauthorized access attempts to student information systems
Protector System Analysis:
- Memory analysis reveals process injection into financial aid processing applications
- Network monitoring detects unusual data flows from student records systems
- System integrity scans show modifications to financial aid database access controls
Tracker Network Investigation:
- DNS logs show queries to domains mimicking federal student aid websites
- Traffic analysis reveals attempted exfiltration of student financial records
- Email pattern analysis shows coordinated phishing targeting both staff and students
Communicator Stakeholder Interviews:
- Financial aid staff admit clicking on urgent processing tools to meet student deadlines
- Students report providing personal information to “verify financial aid eligibility”
- IT staff explain expedited software approval due to “critical student service needs”
Mid-Scenario Pressure Points:
- Hour 1: Students gathering outside financial aid office asking about disbursement delays
- Hour 2: Student Services VP demands explanation for any delays affecting student payments
- Hour 3: Local news contacts university about “financial aid processing problems”
- Hour 4: Parent calls complaining about student unable to secure summer housing due to aid delays
Evolution Triggers:
- If containment takes longer than 4 hours, GaboonGrabber begins targeting student personal data
- If financial aid systems are taken offline, thousands of students miss payment deadlines
- If student information system access is compromised, FERPA violations become inevitable
Resolution Pathways:
Technical Success Indicators:
- Team identifies social engineering exploitation of academic deadline pressure
- Student data protection maintains FERPA compliance throughout incident response
- Financial aid processing continues safely while threat is contained and removed
Business Success Indicators:
- Financial aid disbursements complete on schedule without compromising security
- Student trust in university data protection maintained through transparent communication
- Incident response demonstrates effective student data stewardship to regulatory authorities
Learning Success Indicators:
- Team understands how academic calendar pressures create institutional vulnerabilities
- Participants recognize importance of maintaining security controls during peak service periods
- Group demonstrates coordination between academic services, IT security, and student affairs
Common IM Facilitation Challenges:
If Student Impact Is Minimized:
“While you’re conducting technical analysis, 200 students are waiting in line outside the financial aid office, and Marcus needs his disbursement to pay his housing deposit by tomorrow morning. How do you balance security with student success?”
If FERPA Complexity Is Ignored:
“The technical response looks good, but Dr. Thompson just reminded everyone that any student data breach requires federal notification within 48 hours. How does that change your approach?”
If Timeline Pressure Is Underestimated:
“Your investigation is thorough, but the Student Services VP just announced that any delays to financial aid will affect summer enrollment numbers and university revenue. What’s your response strategy?”