By Dana Bartholomew, Daily News, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Valley College was the victim of a New Year’s Day cyberattack that briefly shut down the campus website and may have involved a ransom demand over stolen data, officials said.
The attack was described as “malicious cyberactivity targeting Los Angeles Valley College,” Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said in a statement.
“This attack is believed to have taken place over the holidays, and we are working closely with local and federal authorities to learn more about its potential impact,” Rodriguez said late Tuesday. “Our top priority in resolving this incident is ensuring that the security and privacy of our students and employees is protected.”
Neither the district nor the college would discuss details about the attack, or the potential loss of computer data involving faculty, staff and students at the Valley Glen campus.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department received a notice on New Year’s Day about a potential cyberattack, a spokeswoman said. The case has since been referred to the Department of Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, which is investigating.
“Criminal intelligence is handling it,” said Deputy Caroline Rodriguez. “The L.A. Valley College website was hacked.”
A tweet from the college on New Year’s Day said the campus website “is now working” and that L.A. Valley College information technology staff were working on restoring the campus email system.
“Will update when the issue has been resolved,” the message continued. There have been no campus Twitter updates since, and it’s not clear whether its email service has been restored.
A ransom note has popped up on the computer screens of students and faculty, said someone familiar with the hack who asked not to be identified. But it wasn’t clear what the hackers demanded.
A sheriff’s cybercrimes detective was awaiting permission Wednesday to discuss the case.
Yusef Robb, a public relations consultant designated by the college district to field questions about the cyberattack, declined to comment on the nature of the computer breach.
“Right now, all that we can say is it’s an ongoing investigation,” Robb said. “There was a cyberintrusion into the computer systems at L.A. Valley College. The district is consulting with its IT staff, outside campus experts, as well as law enforcement.
“The district takes data security very seriously. And it’s all-hands-on-deck to investigate the matter.”
Last month, a Nigerian national and others were charged in connection with hacking Los Angeles County emails that might have exposed personal data from as many as 800,000 people who had conducted business with various county departments. The attack occurred May 13.
©2017 the Daily News (Los Angeles) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
