The Lowell Public Schools provided another update to staff and the media Wednesday night regarding the cybersecurity issue they are dealing with. The message sheds more light on exactly what occurred.

The message revealed that an “outside attempt to gain access to a LPS file server” was made on Monday, February 26, although the school system was not notified of the situation until last night. The memo goes on to state that “cybersecurity software was able to block the attempt. As of now, it appears that there has not been a loss or encryption of any data. As you know, to isolate and stop any potential spread, we shut down Internet access across the district.”

The rest of the message reads as follows:

“In order to bring the LPS network back to operational status, IT staff will be visiting all schools to verify the installation of our newly purchased cybersecurity software and endpoint protections. This process will require IT staff to access every staff computer. The compromised systems have been decommissioned and IT staff are working to rebuild them. Once this work is complete, the LPS networks will be restored. We understand this is an inconvenience to all and are trying to accomplish this task as quickly as possible. The timeline remains unclear, but we hope to have this work completed as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience, cooperation,  and the way you have adapted to this situation.”

When asked if that timeline is measured in days, weeks or months, Community Outreach Strategist Jen Myers tells InsideLowell “as long as it takes our super IT staff to reach every staff computer.”

Stay with InsideLowell for more information as it becomes available.