SETU Waterford forced to cancel classes following major cybersecurity incident

The university said it will "continue to monitor the situation closely as investigations are ongoing"

By: irishmirror.ie

Nov 01 2024
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SETU Waterford forced to cance

South East Technological University's Waterford campus has been hit by a major cyber attack.

The cybersecurity incident targeted SETU’s IT systems and left the campus without internet and access to other online facilities. As a result, the university has taken the decision to cancel classes on Monday (November 4).

In a statement, the university confirmed the cyber attack, but said that "there is no evidence to suggest that any data or information has been compromised".

"South East Technological University (SETU) has experienced a cybersecurity incident targeting our IT systems," a spokesperson for the University said.

"The incident was identified at the earliest possible stage and our IT team moved swiftly to safeguard our IT systems. We have informed relevant Government departments and authorities. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that any data or information has been compromised. However, we continue to monitor the situation closely as investigations are ongoing.

"Our internal IT team is liaising with external cyber security experts to resolve the issue and minimise any potential impact. However, staff and students may experience some disruption as we continue to work to resolve the issue."

This isn't the first time an Irish university has been hit with a cyber attack. In February of last year, Munster Technological University (MTU) had to close the doors of its Cork-based campuses after it was “targeted in a cyber attack”. The MTU Cork campus was closed temporarily following the “significant” IT breach and phone outages.

MTU said the incident was detected by MTU’s IT security systems with “immediate steps being taken to intercept and manage the incident”. The university's annual report for 2022 said the direct costs associated with the cyberattack stood at €3.5 million.

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