'Not business as usual': UCDSB still offline after cyber incident

The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) says its schools remain open but offline following a cyber incident affecting its network earlier this week.

The school board in eastern Ontario reported a network outage on Sunday and confirmed on Monday it was the victim of a cyber incident and contacted police. The board says the disruptions are technological in nature and do not pose any risk to student safety.

On Friday, the UCDSB said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa that staff continue to work to restore its network and digital tools.

"We’ve been working closely with cybersecurity experts in the recovery efforts and will continue to do so for as long as necessary," said UCDSB Executive Superintendent of Business Services Jeremy Hobbs in a statement. "While our schools are open and some key services are beginning to come back online, it is not business as usual across our system."

Several school boards in Canada, including the Ottawa Catholic School Board, have been affected by a cyberattack targeting the student information system PowerSchool. The UCDSB says its issue appears to be separate from the PowerSchool incident.

"At this time, we have not received notice from PowerSchool to indicate that we are impacted by their breach," Hobbs wrote.

Teachers in the school board are adapting to the situation.

"Teachers revert to what they've always done. We have highly qualified and professional educators, they're creative and flexible, they have many tools in their toolbox, and they've engaged those continuing to learn in their classrooms," said Claire Church, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario's Upper Canada Local President.

"We are keeping in touch as union leaders with the board, they're keeping in touch with us. I think, for all of us — the board and the unions and the teachers in the classroom — we're getting as much information as we can when we can get it."

Digital and cyber strategist Ritesh Kotak told CTV News Ottawa that institutions need to be prepared for the increasing frequency and severity of cyberattacks.

"When it come addressing cyberattacks one of the biggest issues is organizations not having a business continuity plan, and even if they have a plan, sometime these plans aren't tested. Their vulnerabilities will continue to be exploited up until the appropriate investments are made," Kotak said.

"I'm not surprised at the frequency of cyberattacks and the fact that they're becoming that much more devastating. There needs to be a shift. We need to go from being reactive of addressing cyber incidents to being more proactive in preventing them from happening in the first place."

The UCDSB is asking parents and guardians to continue to call their schools directly to report student absences, or to contact a staff member.

The Upper Canada District School Board includes schools in the counties of Lanark, Leeds, Grenville, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott and Russell. There are 77 elementary and secondary schools in the board.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Kimberley Fowler