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UFV students regaining email access today, following hack and ransom demand

School continues to support 29 students whose information was exposed, spokesperson says
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UFV students have not had access to their school email accounts since last week. Submitted photo

University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) students will have access to their school email accounts for the first time in a week today (Wednesday), according to a school spokesperson.

Dave Pinton said students will be able to sign into their email accounts soon and their backlog of emails will start trickling in after that. He said could not give an exact timeline for when that would happen.

He said the school’s administration is grateful for the patience and understanding of its students, following a hack of its system.

Last week, a hacker demanded a $30,000 ransom from UFV, threatening to release students’ personal information, if they did not pay.

On Monday, Oct.30, an email was sent to dozens of students containing the personal information of 29 UFV students, including their names, phone numbers, home addresses and grade and course information. One student’s “limited financial information” was included, according Pinton.

Since then, he said, UFV has been working with Abbotsford Police and a cybersecurity company investigating the hack.

“UFV has not seen any further exposure of personal information other than the 29 students affected by the initial malicious email on Oct. 30,” Pinton said. “Those 29 students have been contacted and UFV has, and will continue to, support and work with them to take steps to secure their privacy and personal information.”

There is no evidence that any identity theft has happened as a result of the hack, Pinton said.


@KelvinGawley
kelvin.gawley@abbynews.com

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