Lewis & Clark Community College Campuses in Illinois shutdown due to ransomware attack

On Wednesday 24^th of November 2021, Lewis and Clark Community College, a public community college in Godfrey, Illinois announced that they had experienced a ransomware attack late on Tuesday 23^rd which resulted in all of Lewis and Clark campuses having to be shut down on Wednesday 24^th to prevent further spreading of the ransomware.

The announcement came in the form of a message that was sent to all staff members where Lewis and Clark Community College ‘s President Ken Trzaska stated “All systems are down, including email, blackboard, phones, colleague, etc. Buildings are secure and we are treating this just like a snow day on campus regarding access.”

College President Ken Trzaska also asked that people not use their college’s email accounts or open any files related to the college. The college’s manager of marketing and public relations, Laura Inow later said Lewis and Clark Community College are investigating the extent of the issue and currently don’t know when systems may be restored but the college will continue to keep the campus team, students, and the community posted with updates via social media, their alert systems, and through regional media.