By Heart of Illinois ABC
NORMAL – An active criminal investigation is continuing at Heartland Community College to determine who launched what a spokesperson described as a “malicious” cyberattack against the school.
College administrators updated college trustees about the situation Tuesday night.
Hackers infiltrated the system October 5, and it took a week for students, faculty, and staff to regain access to the college’s portal. That portal links the campus community and to online courses. There are other ways to access online classes, including an app, said Steve Fast, Heartland’s Director of Public Information.
According to Fast, Heartland officials first contacted Normal Police. The FBI is now involved in the criminal probe.
No personal information was compromised, said Fast.
Heartland hired a forensic consulting firm to check various systems. A dollar estimate of the damage caused by the cyberattack is not available, but Fast said Heartland has insurance to cover the cost.
Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
