Centralia College hit with ransomware attack, unclear if personal data was stolen

CENTRALIA, Wash. - Centralia College has been hit with a ransomware attack on its servers that shut down the college's website and campus WiFi.

The ransomware attack also prevented faculty and staff from receiving emails from outside senders. Students and staff can still access college phones, online classes, email and online accounts off-campus, according to The Chronicle. 

It's unclear if confidential student or employee data has been compromised. 

College officials say since moving to mostly online operations two years ago, the school is up to a strong start to recover from the attack.

"While the attack is clearly challenging and disruptive, we’re in a better place to combat it due to changes we implemented over the last two years," Centralia College President Bob Mohrbacher said in a written statement. "Much of our operations were moved online in 2020, so many college services and systems are able to continue in spite of this attack. We are doing everything we can to get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible, particularly for our current students."

All online and in-person classes are continuing as scheduled.

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