Internet Service Disruption Update

HACC has experienced multiple disruptions in our internet service, myHACC and other services over the past several weeks. Below is an update on our investigation and mitigation and tips to minimize your inconvenience.

 

What is happening?

We are experiencing distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, during which the attackers send an overwhelming amount of data to the College and, in effect, fill the pipe to the point where connections are blocked. 

 

No data or personal information has been compromised during these attacks.

Your experience will be different depending whether you are on campus or off campus, an employee or a student.

Here is an example of what you may experience:

As an employee:

Type of functionality	If you are on a HACC campus when the disruption occurs, you:	If you are NOT on a HACC campus when the disruption occurs, you:
Access to HACC email	Can access and draft emails, but they will not be sent	Cannot access emails
Internet	Cannot access internet without a hotspot	Can access the internet
myHACC	Can sign in to myHACC	Cannot sign in to myHACC
Any applications that use single sign-on, such as: Banner D2L Google Drive Remote desktop Zoom	Can access the applications listed to the left	Cannot log in to the applications listed to the left
Shared drive	Can access shared drive	Cannot access the shared drive
Printing	Can print documents	Not applicable
Phone system	Can place calls	Can receive calls

 

As a student:

Type of functionality	If you are on a HACC campus when the disruption occurs, you:	If you are NOT on a HACC campus when the disruption occurs, you:
Access to HAWKmail	Cannot access your email through HACC’s internet service; however, you can access HAWKmail directly through your phone or hotspot	Can access your HAWKmail directly without signing in to myHACC
Internet	Cannot access internet without a hotspot	Can access the internet
myHACC	Can sign in to myHACC	Cannot sign in to myHACC
Any applications that use single sign-on, such as: D2L Google Drive	Can access the applications listed to the left	Cannot access the applications listed to the left
Printing	Can print documents	Not applicable
Phone system	Can call HACC employees	Can call HACC employees

 

What is HACC doing about this?

We are working with our internet service provider and a mitigation firm to minimize interruptions, identify the attacker and prevent future attacks.

 

What can I do to minimize interruptions when an attack occurs?

If an interruption lasts more than 10 minutes, HACC will inform you using multiple methods, including:

• Posts on the collegewide Facebook and Twitter accounts
• e2Campus alerts
• Campus video screens
• Email

If there will be a prolonged interruption, flyers will be posted in high-traffic areas on each campus.

Since we do not know when an attack will occur, we recommend that you take the following precautionary measures:

1. Save videos, PowerPoints and other documents that you may need for meeting or classes on flash drives in addition to HACC’s Google drive or shared drives
2. Keep a hotspot with you when on a HACC campus

This attack is cyberterrorism, and HACC is treating it as such. If you have a tip on who the attacker may be, please submit the information using hacc.edu/feedback.

We greatly appreciate your understanding. We will continue to mitigate and investigate this matter.

Thank you!