SEVERAL CAMPUSES IN Cork remained closed today due to an IT breach on Munster Technological University at the weekend.

Classes in Bishopstown, the National Maritime College of Ireland, the Crawford College of Art and Design and the Cork School of Music did not go ahead today, nor will they tomorrow, as the university assesses how to return to normal operations.

MTU campuses in Kerry are not affected.

The university was hit by a “significant IT breach” and telephone outage over the weekend that was detected by its security systems.

In a statement today, MTU said that “following the significant IT breach and telephone outage that occurred over the weekend, MTU Cork campuses remain closed today and tomorrow as we continue to assess the situation”.

“We have taken this decision in order to ensure robust student and staff data protection, which is of utmost importance to us.”

The university is in contact with gardaí, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Higher Education.

“MTU’s IT security systems were able to detect this breach at an early stage, and we are currently assessing the most appropriate solutions to allow us to return to teaching as normal and reopen our campuses,” the statement said.

“In the meantime, we are following all appropriate procedures and protocols to ensure the security of our systems and the wellbeing of our staff and students is maintained. Our students’ education is a top priority for us and we appreciate the patience of all students, staff and stakeholders while we complete this vital work.

“We have robust contingency plans in place for such an event and this means that core systems such as email, HR, finance, payroll and others are unaffected by this breach and are continuing to operate as normal. This also means that the majority of our staff can continue to work remotely while we plan our safe return to teaching.

“Finally, the welfare of our staff and students remains our number one priority. Our student counselling service is continuing to operate at this time to offer support to any students who may need it. We are also extending this support to any of our staff who may be in need at this time.”