Time is of the essence in finding out what caused a cyber-attack at South East Technology University (SETU), according to a computer science expert.

The college’s Waterford campus was hit with a cybersecurity attack on Friday which targeted its Information Technology (IT) systems.  

The IT team moved swiftly to safeguard, and there is currently no evidence to suggest any data or information has been compromised. 

Containing the attack

Cork University Business School lecturer Simon Woodworth says it's vital the IT systems attack doesn't spread. 

“If they can keep this contained, then there's going to be less mess to clean up afterwards,” he said. 

“Switching off everything is certainly a wise decision until they can assess the level of damage.  

“They don't want it to spread laterally throughout their network to other campuses like Carlow especially – because then it just makes an even bigger problem to sort out.” 

Impact on campus

Dr Woodworth said the college “can’t leave everything switched off forever”, and that “time is of the essence in working out the source of the attack”. 

Monday’s classes at the university have been cancelled as a result of the breach, with staff currently unable to access internal emails and other online facilities.  

The National Cyber Security Centre is working with SETU. So far, the college's Carlow campus is unaffected.