CEI shuts down network after malware attack; No data breach detected so far
Seth Ratliff
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) has proactively shut down its network systems after a malware attack targeted the school. As of now, college officials do not believe any student or staff data has been compromised.
The issues began last week when a CEI student, using a personal laptop, accessed an external website, inadvertently introducing the malware into the college’s online network.
According to the school, CEI’s IT team quickly began actively monitoring and containing the initial threat. However, the malicious actor escalated their efforts, launching a “trojan horse attack” on the network last Friday.
In response, CEI quickly shut down its systems to prevent further intrusion and to protect the integrity of college data and infrastructure.
“Our top priority is the safety and security of our students, faculty, and institutional data,” said CEI President, Dr. Lori Barber. “We are working closely with cybersecurity experts and following all appropriate protocols and regulatory guidelines to fully eliminate the malware and restore system functionality.”
Despite the network outage, CEI reportedly has contingency plans in place to ensure summer courses will proceed as scheduled. The college says it remains committed to maintaining academic continuity and supporting students and staff throughout this process.
CEI has contingency plans in place to ensure that summer courses will proceed as scheduled. The college remains committed to maintaining academic continuity and supporting students and staff throughout this process.
CEI does not yet have a definitive timeline for when full network functionality will be restored but will continue to provide timely updates as more information becomes available.
For questions or concerns, students are being asked to contact CEI’s CIO, Steve Brown at steve.brown@cei.edu.
This is a developing story Local News 8 will update throughout the day.