University of Winnipeg extends semester after confirming it was targeted by cyberattack
Exams will begin April 18 instead of the 11th
The University of Winnipeg is extending its winter semester after a "criminal" cyberattack disrupted student services as the term was about to end.
The university said during a virtual town hall Wednesday afternoon that its senate has approved extending the academic calendar by one week — until April 12 — to give instructors extra time to finish their class plans should they need it.
The exam period will now begin April 18 instead of the 11th, and run until May 2, officials said.
The university temporarily cancelled all classes earlier this week, saying a "cyber incident" discovered on Sunday impacted a variety of its systems.
On Wednesday, school administration confirmed a "threat actor" managed to gain entrance to its system, and that the university took its network down to protect its data.
The university said it could not provide any further details as to the nature of the attack, but that they've happened to other organizations.
Staff have been "working around the clock since this breach was discovered on Sunday to understand the consequences of the breach," said Todd Mondor, the University of Winnipeg's president and vice-chancellor.
He added that the university wants to "bring back services in a way that preserves the safety of our entire system and prevents the threat actor from gaining re-admittance and causing any additional damage."
It said it has reported the incident to Winnipeg police and the RCMP.
The potentially compromised university systems include Nexus — a learning management system where students can find course content — as well as student information systems WebAdvisor and Colleague, and a school printing service.
U of W staff said they're aiming to restore such critical systems by next week, as well as its financial systems and student email systems.
External companies specialized in responding to cyberattacks have been brought in to help deal with the situation, and the university says it has been working to get help from peer organizations.
School unaware of personal information leaks
Ahead of Wednesday's virtual town hall, U of W students told CBC News they were in the dark as to what would happen ahead of final exams.
Some said they were worried their personal information — including school transcripts and finances — could end up in the hands of cyber-attackers.
Mondor said the university is not aware of any loss of personal information, but urged students to take standard precautions.
"We have no reason to believe you have to be especially anxious about it, but keeping an eye in your accounts is always a good idea," he said.
"We will provide any information we obtain with respect to privacy or any other consequences of the breach as soon as we can. Our intent is to be as transparent as possible with you and not to withhold information in any way, shape or form."
The university is planning a second town hall and will provide updates on its website, through the UW Safe App and on its social media channels.
A temporary Wi-Fi network was created on Tuesday. The school said the library will remain open, and its e-resources are accessible on campus.
Spring registration is on hold. Should the issuing of transcripts be delayed, the university said it will send letters explaining the situation.
The university said convocation should still happen on time.
