NOSM University has asked its employees and learners not to work on campus for the time being after the medical school was the victim of a cyber attack this week.
NOSM issued a statement on the incident Friday afternoon after receiving an inquiry from Sudbury.com.
"NOSM University is recovering from a campus-wide service disruption due to a cyber incident that was detected on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Campus internet in both Sudbury and Thunder Bay, as well as shared and departmental drives, and many university websites and services, continue to be inaccessible," said the news release.
NOSM said once the problem was discovered, university staff immediately took steps to secure and protect the network and data and information. NOSM has also retained experts who are advising as to next steps.
Dr. Sarita Verma, the president, vice chancellor, dean and CEO at NOSM U, said it is understandable that the disruption has caused a lot of frustrations and questions for everyone at the school.
“We are still in the early stages of addressing this matter. Be rest assured that we have taken the necessary measures to mitigate risk and address business continuity," said Verma.
As a result of the disruption the university has asked employees and learners "to work remotely unless on-campus presence is required for student support or other in-person activities."
NOSM University is working to ensure critical systems are operational as soon as possible, said the news release.
A cyber-attack is generally described as a deliberate disruption of internet and information-technology services by some outside group or agency seeking to shut down computer services.