Southwest Tennessee Community College hit by cyber incident | Education

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Officials at Southwest Tennessee Community College have identified a cyber incident that compromised the school’s network systems.

The college announced the discovery on Sunday, July 7. The school had already been experiencing problems with its server environment days earlier.

Southwest said the college is working with computer forensics experts to investigate the incident and determine the extent of the cyberattack. The college hopes to restore full functionality as soon as possible, but did not provide an estimated timeline for that to happen.

“We “We are deeply committed to protecting the important information our students and staff entrust to us,” said Tracy D. Hall, president of Southwest Tennessee Community College, in a Facebook post. “Unfortunately, in today’s digital landscape, cybercrime incidents are increasingly common and pose significant risks. Our team responded promptly to secure our systems and is working diligently to restore our online services and strengthen our defenses. We appreciate the cooperation and patience of our students, faculty and staff as we navigate these circumstances.”

Due to the cyber incident, classes and registration for the second summer semester have been postponed until Monday, July 15, and registration has been extended through July 19. While the school deals with the cyber attack, Southwest said the college will continue to operate remotely and learn remotely. The college instructed students to contact their instructors for assignments and employees to contact their supervisors.

Campus child care centers on the Macon Cove and Union Avenue campuses will remain open and operate as usual, Southwest said. However, the Follett Bookstore will not open. Students can still purchase books online here.

Students and staff will still be able to access their email if they are currently logged in and their passwords do not expire during the cyber incident, the college said. Those who have logged out of their Outlook email account or whose passwords expire will not be able to access the account again until the issues are resolved. Southwest encouraged those who cannot access their email to stay updated on the situation by following Southwest Tennessee Community College on Facebook and Instagram.

Southwest said the college’s website (the Southwest Portal-My.Southwest), PAWS and Banner were also affected by the incident.