Howard University Hit With Ransomware Attack, Cancels Classes
Howard University cancelled classes on Tuesday (September 7) after being hit with a ransomware attack.
An announcement by the HBCU reveals the attack shut down campus Wi-Fi, and nonessential employees were instructed not to report to work. In-person classes will resume on Wednesday, but online classes remain cancelled until at least Thursday.
Howard said its information technology team first noticed issues last Friday. CNBC reports that it’s common for ransomware hackers to begin their attacks at the start of a weekend or holiday, when there are likely to be fewer employees on call to quickly stop it. The school says it has since notified federal law enforcement.
Howard’s campus Wi-Fi is still down. The university says it’s working on implementing an emergency replacement system.
According to Allan Liska, an analyst at the cybersecurity company Recorded Future, ransomware attacks have become rampant in recent years with universities as common targets. CNBC reports hackers have managed to infect at least 19 colleges and universities in 2021 alone.
