MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — The Maricopa County Community College District is working to combat a cybersecurity issue first detected on March 16, according to a statement.
The internet-based systems for the school are being affected including the campus connect to a student portal and information center. They have all been taken offline as an investigation continues.
The district says that they are treating the attack as a high-priority case. They say that the initial stages of the investigation show that the outage is the first step in a bigger issue.
The district announced on Friday night that classes will be canceled until March 29. They will also be extending the semester by a week to make up for time lost.
In a statement, the district said:
"Our Colleges will work with all students on a course-by-course basis to make appropriate accommodations and to ensure these technology disruptions do not negatively impact their grade.
The Maricopa Community Colleges are committed to completing a detailed analysis of its internal systems and will take all appropriate action in response to its findings. We will follow up with additional information as we restore access to applications and email. Thank you for your continued patience."
To read the full announcement, visit the Maricopa County Community College website.