Cybersecurity incident disrupts southern Manitoba school division

Garden Valley School Division is working to restore its computer systems after a cybersecurity incident disrupted its network, including its phone systems, earlier this week.

The southern Manitoba school division confirmed Thursday on its website that network disruptions first reported last Sunday were the result of a cybersecurity incident affecting its IT infrastructure.

In an email, superintendent Dan Ward said the phone system was “quickly restored.”

“Our teams have been working around the clock since the incident’s discovery to restore our systems and minimize the impact on staff and students,” Ward said in an emailed statement.

The division, which oversees 14 schools in the Winkler/Plum Coulee area, said it has taken systems offline “out of an abundance of caution” and hired third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate, contain the incident and safely restore operations.

“We are only bringing them back online once we are sure of their integrity,” the post said.

The incident has been reported to the appropriate authorities.

Some disruptions to normal school activities are expected to continue, although the division said temporary workarounds have been implemented to minimize the impact on students and staff.

Ward did not answer questions about specifics of what was disrupted.

The division said affected individuals will be notified if investigators determine their personal information was exposed.

It’s the latest cyberattack on a school division or university in the province in recent years.

Canadian Mennonite University revelealed the personal information of current and former students and employees was stolen in a cyberattack that was discovered Sept. 18.

The data may include names, addresses, social insurance numbers, dates of birth, employment and earnings information, and student tuition and enrolment records dating back to 2015.

CMU offered affected individuals two years of free credit monitoring to help protect against identity theft and fraud.

A December 2024 ransomware attack on Winnipeg’s Pembina Trails School Division exposed nearly one million files containing sensitive information about current and former students, employees and people who had written cheques to the division.

The cybercriminal group Rhysida tried to sell the stolen files for $1.6 million after the division refused to pay a ransom. The information was subsequently published on the dark web.

An independent cybersecurity investigation, made public last December, confirmed the extent of the breach, which exposed records dating back to 1999, but could not determine how hackers gained access to the division’s systems.

The division said its systems were secure following the investigation, although those affected could face ongoing risks of identity theft and fraud. Garden Valley was one of the few divisions spared during that attack.

Another attack, also in December 2024, hit a school information system called PowerSchool, which is used by 28 of the 37 school divisions in the province.

The attack potentially exposed personal information belonging to students and employees in those divisions after hackers accessed records through a company customer portal, prompting PowerSchool to pay a ransom in exchange for assurances the stolen data would be deleted.

The company hired cybersecurity experts to investigate and strengthened its security controls.

Earlier in 2024, a March cyberattack on the University of Winnipeg exposed decades of sensitive student and employee information, including social insurance numbers, addresses and financial records dating back to 2003.

The breach disrupted university operations, forcing class cancellations and delaying final exams.

University officials launched an investigation into the extent of the theft and notified police and cybersecurity authorities, warning that determining who was affected could take months.

The university offered two years of credit monitoring to affected individuals and pledged to strengthen its cybersecurity defences.

Winnipeg school divisions committed millions of dollars to technology upgrades and cybersecurity measures in their 2025-26 budgets following a string of data breaches.

Pembina Trails allocated $400,000 to cybersecurity products, while Louis Riel earmarked $250,000 for enhanced protections, including around-the-clock intrusion detection.

Winnipeg School Division set aside $4 million for broader network and technology improvements, including cybersecurity, while St. James-Assiniboia budgeted for an additional IT employee to strengthen its defences.

scott.billeck@winnipegfreepress.com