Ransomware Forces Howard to Cancel Classes Just Weeks Into Fall Semester

Howard University has experienced a ransomware cyberattack. On Friday, September 3rd, our Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) team detected unusual activity on the University's network and intentionally shut it down in order to investigate. Out of an abundance of caution, all classes scheduled for Tuesday, September 7th will be canceled. This includes online, hybrid, and in-person classes. Each stakeholder on our campus must operate with a sense of heightened awareness. Treat emails from unknown senders as suspicious until you know who has sent it. Refrain from clicking links from unverified senders. Do not create new accounts using your Howard email address. We will share additional updates as they become available.

UPDATE: Online and hybrid classes scheduled for Wednesday, September 8 are also canceled. In-person classes, including hands-on courses such as labs and clinicals for nursing students, will resume Wednesday. We have engaged third-party cybersecurity specialists and notified federal law enforcement and the District government. There is currently no evidence that personal information was accessed or exfiltrated. Wi-Fi remains unavailable across campus; we are working to deploy an alternative wireless network as quickly as possible.