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The Fremantle campus of the University of Notre Dame faces major backlash for its response to a cyber attack it suffered earlier in the year.
Last month, the university confirmed that it had suffered a cyber incident in January, impacting its multifactor authentication services.
“The University of Notre Dame Australia is investigating a cyber incident,” a university spokesperson said in a statement.
“We are taking this incident seriously and working as a priority to ensure the security of our systems.”
The cyber incident was claimed by the Fog Ransomware group, which claimed to have stolen 62.2 gigabytes of data.
However, despite Notre Dame writing that its “staff and students are our top priority”, students of the university are slamming the university’s operations following the cyber attack.
As reported by The West Australian, one student claimed that day-to-day learning had been heavily impacted, with students and teachers unable to access the university’s online services.
“We get no wifi, can’t access the printer because of it, and we have to use our personal hotspot, which drains phone and computer batteries,” she said.
Additionally, the student said her tutor had not been paid by the university and that she had “just been teaching us out of love”.
While the university denies not paying its staff, adding that employees are being paid as normal, it did acknowledge that some systems remain down despite major recovery progress.
The West Australian also reported that one student missed out on a job after they were unable to access university systems to get their academic transcript.
“I don’t have access to my academic transcript, which I need to be able to show I am fully qualified,” she said.
“[University staff] were no help. They said they can only tell me what I already know, and they don’t know when the transcripts will become available.”
In response, the university said it was aware of the problem and is working to make alternative arrangements in the meantime.
“The university has informed government agencies and accrediting authorities about the impact of the cyber incident to ensure they have up-to-date information about students who have received their qualifications,” it said.
“The university can provide testamurs and other official documents to ensure student and graduate academic achievements are appropriately recognised.
“Our student administration team is working to help students with the documentation they may require for employment or further study.”
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