SIN Vol. 23 Issue 03 by SIN Newspaper University of Galway

Vol. 23 #03 19 Oct. 2021

Winner: Best Newspaper at the National Student Media Awards 2019

Student Independent News Nuachtán saor in aisce · Vol. 23 Issue 03 · 19 Oct. 2021

NUI Galway Cyber-Attack: Next step of recovery complete By Valerie McHugh NUI Galway have completed the first step of their recovery plan after a recent cyber-attack locked students and staff out of university systems. Wi-Fi access via Eduroam has been reinstated for people on campus, but it is only available for university teaching platforms, such as Blackboard, MS Teams and university emails. Public internet usage and access to other university networks will not be available until the second step of the recovery plan. Speaking to SIN, NUI Galway President Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said that “Public access to the internet, including non-university sites, is still available on the old temporary system, but the full return of NUI Galway public internet access will not be established until the second step of the plan.” “ISS staff are working through some tests on this and they will hopefully confirm as soon as possible when this will be available again. We were primarily focused on getting access to student networks like Blackboard back up and running as soon as possible,” he added. This comes one week after temporary Wi-Fi access points were set up in certain places around campus, including in on-campus dwellings. Speaking on the staggered internet loss in Corrib Village and Goldcrest Village, Ó hÓgartaigh confirmed that “Some of the

rooms [in residencies] didn’t have access but some of the public areas did. The first thing we were keen to get back was internet access, even on a limited basis. That was a priority for us in the first week or so, and obviously containing the attack was the other priority.” Many students have voiced their frustration with the ongoing network restrictions. Speaking to SIN, final year Music student Niamh Connor said that “The lack of access to Wi-Fi on campus and the lack of library resources have made the last few weeks very difficult. There haven’t been any extensions given for my midterm assignments and this has severely escalated my stress levels as a final year student.”

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. Details correct at time of publication on 19 October See our website for the most up-to-date version of this story. story For breaking updates, follow @NuigSin on Twitter

KEY POINTS: • NUI Galway Wi-Fi reinstated for some University services • Public Internet not yet available outside of temporary access points • Winter conferrings postponed to next Easter

The fact that strangers can take it into their heads to disrupt people’s lives like this is

”

something that I can’t wrap my head around. In response to the frustration expressed by many students, Ó hÓgartaigh says that “student’s pain has been greater than anyone else’s.” He added, “It’s been a really, really frustrating time. The fact that strangers can take it into their heads to disrupt people’s lives like this is something that I can’t wrap my head around. It’s very difficult to

understand what motivates these people.” Student Union President Róisin Nic Lochlainn has also been articulating the frustration that the SU have felt on behalf of students over the last three weeks. “The cyber-attack has wreaked havoc on all aspects of student life and has caused huge stress for so many students. From not being able to access the financial aid fund, the laptop loan scheme, lectures, emails and Blackboard, to student drivers having to pay and display €10 each day as a result of no access to the websites permit, to PHD teaching students having to sacrifice their own data and in some cases stipends. This situation really brought to light the importance of empathy in difficult circumstances in asking lecturers for extensions and patience.” Winter conferring ceremonies at NUI Galway have also been cancelled as a result of the cyber-attack. President hÓgartaigh explained to SIN that the limitation of access to university networks has prevented staff from uploading student results. He continued, “The timing has meant that we have not been able to prepare CONTINUED ON PAGE 2