Following a ransomware assault, Howard University closed its physical campus and cancelled courses this week.
The attack was discovered on September 3, just before Labor Day weekend, and the University’s Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) shut down the internal network to contain it.
The University did not identify which ransomware family may have been used in the attack, but it did indicate that no personal information appears to have been compromised.
According to a statement from the institution, “to date, there has been no evidence of personal information being obtained or exfiltrated; nonetheless, our investigation is ongoing, and we continue to work toward understanding the facts around what transpired and what information was accessed.”
Howard University has cancelled classes for Tuesday, September 7th, and only critical workers are allowed on campus. Until ETS discovers “the best and safest method to stand it up,” Wi-Fi connectivity on campus will be unavailable.
Applications that are saved in the cloud are still accessible, however other applications may be unavailable.
The University said it will offer daily updates on the investigation into the incident, and that the FBI and the D.C. local government have been notified of the attack.
“Our campus is at a point in time when IT security is at its most stringent. We recognise that there must be a balance between access and security; but, the University’s reaction will be based on heightened security at this time,” the school stated.
Howard University, which was founded in 1867 and comprises 13 schools and colleges in Washington, D.C., offers more than 140 academic programmes to students.
