Massachusetts

UMass Lowell Closed Due to Possible Cybersecurity Incident

A statement on the school's online learning portal said all "in-person, remote and online classes" are canceled due to an "IT outage"

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The University of Massachusetts Lowell has canceled all classes on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a possible cybersecurity incident.

The school announced that it was investigating a possible "cybersecurity incident" affecting its technology services. A statement on the school's online learning portal said all "in-person, remote and online classes" are canceled due to an "IT outage."

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"UMass Lowell continues to retain control over its IT infrastructure and is working with a leading cyberforensics firm to identify, evaluate and eliminate any issues that are discovered," the university said in a statement. "Employees may notice a software program, Red Cloak, temporarily installed on all university devices by IT to identify and evaluate potential security threats."

The school said late Tuesday that all in-person and online classes and business operations would be canceled Wednesday, as well.

All network communications to and from the campus network have been suspended and there is no word on when it might be restored.

If any threats are identified, the school said its IT department will correct them and begin incrementally restoring network services, prioritizing academic technology infrastructure.

No further information was immediately available. Updates will be provided at a temporary website the school has established while its main website remains unavailable.

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