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The University of Winnipeg's next steps following cyber attack

The University of Winnipeg appears in an undated image. The University of Winnipeg appears in an undated image.
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It's believed no personal information was leaked after the University of Winnipeg was hit by a cyber attack on the weekend, however, the school is still working to get all services back up and running.

That update was provided to 1,000 people Wednesday afternoon during a virtual town hall.

Todd Mondor, the school's president and vice-chancellor, said once the school became aware of the issue, their systems were shut down to prevent any damage from happening.

"The (Technology Solutions Centre) staff has been working around the clock since this breach was discovered on Sunday, to understand the consequences of the breach, and 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," said Mondor.

The attack resulted in classes being cancelled on Monday and a number of online services have yet to start up again.

Students did go back to class on Tuesday, and Wi-Fi was provided to the campus

"Please be assured that our entire team is working to address this incident and work towards restoring services for the campus community," said Kim Benoit, the Chief Information Officer of the U of W.

During the town hall, Benoit said the objective is to have some critical services restored by early next week, including the learning management system, known as Nexus, student information system and financial systems.

"Restoring services is going to take time. We need to make sure the network is safe as we bring back online."

The university has approved to have the school term extended by one week and the exam period has also been extended to ensure all the systems are operating for faculty and students.

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