Memorial University Grenfell Campus delays classes due to ransomware attack

The Grenfell Campus of Memorial University in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, has confirmed that a ransomware attack is the cause for the delayed start of its in-person winter semester classes. The ongoing investigation revealed that an unauthorized entity breached the campus network, encrypting data on numerous servers and workstations. While there's no current indication of any personal data being compromised, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) has been alerted as a precautionary measure and will be updated if the situation changes.

The incident was first noticed on December 29, and the university implemented stringent cybersecurity measures at the Corner Brook campus, including a total shutdown of IT services. This strategy was effective in containing the attack to only the Grenfell Campus. The university collaborated with security professionals to devise recovery strategies, enabling the campus to resume operations by January 8.

Memorial University is currently in the process of recovering and restoring its systems, which is anticipated to take several weeks. Once completed, the systems are expected to have a different appearance compared to their pre-attack state. Ongoing updates regarding the situation are being posted on the university’s website at mun.ca/updates.