The problem first appeared in Tuesday morning, but the university’s systems have been coming back online little by little. As of now, classes are still going on as scheduled, and WiFi is available.
Despite the network interruptions all of our services are still running as per usual! We are open until 4:30pm Carleton_U
— hirecarleton_u (@hirecarleton_u) November 30, 2016
Don Cumming, a spokesperson for Carleton University, said the school didn’t pay a ransom. A graduate student did say the hackers behind the attack demanded Bitcoin, a digital currency that is hard to trace. The hackers were seeking a total of 39 Bitcoin for the release of the encrypted files. That is the equivalent of almost $38,940.
The university posted a notice on Tuesday morning, informing students of the disruption. It called it an attempt by an individual or an external group to hack into the university’s IT network.
Thanks Carleton C8SZ6TydrO
— • l e x • (@lexdc98) November 29, 2016
Affected users were told to refrain from accessing the university’s network, which included connecting to WiFi or using a printer. They were also told they should shut their computers down.
Throughout Wednesday, the university has been releasing updates. According to their latest update, no personal information has been accessed and access to email has been returned. They also said there was progress with repairs to enterprise systems.
This isn’t the first time a university in Canada has been the target of ransom. Back in June, the University of Calgary’s systems were attacked and hackers demanded $20,000. The university did pay the ransom.
