Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has cancelled classes for the second day in a row while work is being done to make the Dutch university’s network secure following a cyberattack that occurred on the weekend.
In the most recent update, the university has also postponed exams and education by one week to give students time to catch up on learning and studying.
On Tuesday, January 14, no classes at TU/e will take place as students and staff are unable to use services which depend on the network, including Wi-Fi, email, Canvas and Teams. Classes were also cancelled on Monday after the Dutch university shut down its network due to a cyberattack.
The campus remains open for students and employees, but many have chosen not to come in as they wouldn’t be able to use the internet.
“We are working methodically with all our might to get the TU/e's network secure and eventually bring it back online, step by step, with the utmost care,” said Patrick Groothuis, Vice President of TU/e in a university statement. “The education systems have the highest priority in this regard. We understand that this has a major impact on everyone in our community. We are touched by the resilience of students and staff and by all the messages of support and help offered.”
With weeks needed to restore the university’s network to full functionality, TU/e has decided to postpone exams which were set to start in the week of January 20. In turn, this will also push the education calendar back by one week.
"As a result of the cyberattack, many exams proved insufficiently prepared or (partly) impossible to be taken in the scheduled period," wrote the university in a statement. "As a result, students would have had to make up exams later, which would cause study progress problems for many. Also, a lot of students would not have had enough time to study properly, partly because study materials were not always available, due to the cyberattack."
Over the weekend, the university noticed suspicious activity on its servers which suggested a cyberattack. In response, the university in Eindhoven shut down the network and has since launched an investigation.
It remains unclear who is responsible for the attack. Fortunately, there are no signs that any data was stolen during the incident.
In the most recent update, the university stated that it is working out alternative scenarios for education, especially as the exam period commences next week. “We understand the tensions and uncertainties among both our staff and our students and will make our considerations with the utmost care,” wrote the university.
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