Grenfell campus shutting down internet for 2 weeks to deal with lingering effects of cyberattack
MUN rep says outage necessary to improve systems hit by ransomware attack in December
Nearly six months after a cyberattack on Memorial University's Grenfell campus, the Corner Brook institution is shutting down its internet for more than two weeks in an effort to fix lingering issues.
Ken Jacobsen, Grenfell campus's interim vice-president, says the outage, which begins Saturday and ends June 30, is necessary to make repairs and upgrades.
"There's a lot of work to be done, and it's a huge team effort," he told CBC News.
Upgrades will include hardware and software upgrades, Jacobson said.
"There were parts of campus that had to work off of temporary networks. And so now we're integrating the entire system," he said.
"I think it has to do primarily with security, and we've seen why that's a really important thing, to have a secure integrated network so that we have the same services that are available in Corner Brook as are available in St. John's, available in Labrador, wherever we have MUN facilities."
During the outage, regular Wi-Fi, internet and phone services will be suspended. Some services — including the registrar's office, bursar's office, library, and campus patrol and enforcement — will be available in person but at reduced hours and ability.
The Dec. 29 ransomware attack locked out Grenfell's servers' users by encrypting the data. Class start dates for the 2024 winter semester were delayed a week and five students had their banking information stolen.
Students and faculty have experienced ongoing issues since the attack. Prof. Gerard Curtis told CBC News in March many students couldn't access their campus email and were experiencing constantly spotty Wi-Fi, and several labs were non-operational because of the unreliable computer systems.
Jacobsen said shutting down now, with the winter semester over and before the summer session starts on June 24, will minimize the impact on academics.
"Our team here at Grenfell has also been reimagining all of the computers in our classrooms and labs," he said. "The goal is really to be ready for September so that we're fully operational for September, ready for students."
The 250 students currently on campus will be affected, but the university is trying to minimize the disruption. The top priority will be to restore residence Wi-Fi, said Jacobsen. He couldn't provide an exact time frame but said they believe it will "a matter of days."
Jacobsen said the Canada House at the Civic Centre will be set up as a shared workspace with stable internet access.
"At the end of the day, we'll actually have better service," he said.
Vicky Quao of the Grenfell Campus Student Union says she's glad students will still have access to their emails but the shutdown will mean some hardship for international students, with an increased financial burden.
"Most of the students here on campus are international students who cannot directly call their families. They have to call them with some sort of Wi-Fi," she said. "Because of that, I'm going to have to increase my data plan."
Students without Wi-Fi during the shutdown will be compensated, and Quao said she hopes it's enough to offset increased data usage. The students' union asked for MUN to refund the $100 internet service fee for the winter semester, but students were reimbursed $25.
"It's not an ideal time because there're still students on campus [but] it's better off now than later when everyone is here," Quao said. "It's going to be a rocky period for students, but hopefully things get better after that."'
Quao said she hopes the overhaul will prevent future incidents.
"If it means we're not going to have to go through this again, we'll take it, I guess."
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With files from Colleen Conners
