University of the Bahamas struck by a major ransomware attack

University of the Bahamas announced last week that it experienced a major ransomware attack that affected online classes and other daily operations.

 

On February 3, the University announced in a social media post that it suffered an “internet network outage” that affected all online applications, including emails and systems used for classwork. All online classes had to be temporarily suspended due to this interruption.

 

The university said it launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the cyber security incident. 

 

It said through another public notification that the network outage was caused by a ransomware attack which took place on February 2 and enabled cyber criminals to infiltrate its internal network and encrypt certain files and systems.

 

“While we are actively investigating the full scope of this incident, we believe that personal information may have been impacted,” reads the statement.

 

The University has urged all students and faculty members to change their passwords, and enable two-factor authentication on their personal accounts. It has also urged them to stay alert and vigilant for any unusual activity on their personal accounts.

 

During the restoration period, access to on-site computer labs and Wi-Fi network and classes that need online study materials have been suspended.

 

“Online access to library resources is temporarily unavailable, however library users can still visit the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre at the Oakes Field Campus. For the time being, only cash is being accepted at our point-of-sale systems and for other bill payments,” the university added.

 

In a recent update, University of The Bahamas said that while restoration of the network is still in progress, it has resumed all learning activities and from Monday, classes can be resumed.

 

“The University has implemented enhanced online security measures to strengthen our defence and help mitigate future incidents,” it said, adding that it is working with relevant law enforcement authorities to resolve the incident and will share more updates as and when available.