Howard University

In-Person Classes Resume at Howard U After Ransomware Attack

Undergraduate hybrid and online classes remain suspended

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Howard University students enrolled in fully in-person classes were told to report to campus Thursday, but undergraduate hybrid and online courses remain suspended for a third day, after the university was hit by a ransomware attack.

Graduate and professional students taking online or hybrid courses should remain remote and continue to access those courses remotely, as those courses have typically been conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, university officials said.

Faculty, staff and students may find more updates and specifics on Howard's website here.

It was last Friday that the school's information technology team detected unusual activity on Howard's network. The network was then intentionally shut down to investigate the situation, school officials have said. Classes were cancelled Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Based on the investigation and the information we have to date, we know the University has experienced a ransomware cyberattack," the university posted on its website earlier this week.

Classes in person will resume, but Howard University's network is still offline after hackers breached its system. News4's Cory Smith reports.

There has been no evidence of personal information being accessed or taken, but the investigation is ongoing, university officials have said.

Howard officials contacted the FBI and the District government, the university said.

Officials have said there was "not an overnight solution" and they plan to continue providing updates regarding campus operations.

Howard has said it would extend the add/drop deadline for courses.

"We will continue to keep you updated on expected timelines for the restoration of campus wireless access. We are working on standing up WiFi in the safest environment possible," Howard officials said Thursday.

WiFi remains unavailable in six out of the eight dorms on campus.

School officials said that faculty, staff and students should expect audits of devices and access credentials associated with university work and operations. "These audits will require sweeping of phones, laptops, and other digital work tools, which may be susceptible to data breaching," Howard officials said.

Anyone with information about the cyberattack or who notices any suspicious activity is asked to report it to helpdesk@howard.edu.

Members of the Howard community are encouraged to download the BisonSafe app to stay informed. 

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