Attempted cyberattack results in network shutdown at St. Francis Xavier University

An investigation is underway following an attempted cyberattack at St. Francis Xavier University.

In a statement to students and staff Thursday, the university said its IT Services team recognized “odd activity” occurring within the St. FX networked environment and an investigation was immediately launched.

But in a message to students and staff, the university’s alert system said it was investigating an attempted cyberattack.

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The university says it is implementing an entire shutdown to the campus’ systems as a precaution. The decision is disrupting access to email, the school’s online course system, shared storage space and drives on the St. FX network.

“Cybersecurity is a serious threat to any network,” a university release reads. “We do not know how long this interruption will be in effect.”

“We recognize that this is an inconvenience to the campus and are committed to restoring services as soon as possible.”

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It remains unclear where the cyberattack originated. The university could not immediately be reached for comment.