Frequently Asked Questions about the Pellissippi State Community College Ransomware Attack

Resources
*, *:after, *:before { box-sizing: border-box; } :root { font-size: 16px; } body { font-family: "Inter", sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; min-height: 100vh; font-size: 1.25rem; } *:focus { outline: none; } body > div { width: 90%; max-width: 600px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 5rem; margin-bottom: 5rem; } details div { border-left: 2px solid #000; border-right: 2px solid #000; border-bottom: 2px solid #000; padding: 1.5em; } details div > * + * { margin-top: 1.5em; } details + details { margin-top: .5rem; } summary { list-style: none; } summary::-webkit-details-marker { display: none; } summary { border: 2px solid #000; padding: .75em 1em; cursor: pointer; position: relative; padding-left: calc(1.75rem + .75rem + .75rem); } summary:before { position: absolute; top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%); left: .75rem; content: "↓"; width: 1.75rem; height: 1.75rem; background-color: #000; color: #FFF; display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; flex-shrink: 0; } details[open] summary { background-color: #eee; } details[open] summary:before { content: "↑"; } summary:hover { background-color: #eee; } a { color: inherit; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none; box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0; } a:hover { box-shadow: 0 3px 0 0;

Last updated: December 16, 2021 

How do you create an accordion?
Easy! As long as you don't have to support IE11 or older browsers you could use <details> and <summary> natively.
What if I have to support IE11 or older browsers?
No worries. The fallback for these elements is quite good. They will display as open. You won't get the open/close mechanism, but you won't lose any content either.
What type of content can I have inside one of these?
Almost anything you'd like. The <details> element allows all flow content, which is basically everything.
How does it work?
The <details> element encapsulates the <summary> element. The <summary> becomes the 'label' for the <details> and acts like a button. When clicked, the attribute open is added to the <details> element, making it display. You can therefore style the open and closed states seperately if you'd like.

What happened? 

On December 6, 2021, we became aware of a cyber event occurring at all five campuses. To contain the event, we shut off internet access and network connections between campuses and buildings. Internal investigation revealed that Pellissippi State was a victim of a sophisticated ransomware attack throughout our network, impacting multiple servers and desktop workstations. 

What is happening now? 

Pellissippi State is actively working with appropriate law enforcement and cyber forensics experts to determine the scope and root cause of the event. Because this is an active investigation, certain aspects cannot be shared publicly. If you have questions about specific access related to your job, please contact your supervisor. 

Are my own devices at risk? 

The ransomware attack was focused on disrupting Pellissippi State and its resources.  Personal devices are not on the Pellissippi State network and were not a target of this attack. There is no evidence that any personal devices were compromised. There is not a risk to your devices in using the systems that are currently available. 

What systems can I use? 

Currently, you can log into Brightspace and Office 365. As additional systems are restored, we will update this site. 

Will I lose my email? 

Email was not lost and it will continue to be received. Access to Office 365 has been restored and instructions for logging in are on the update page. 

How is Pellissippi State monitoring to make sure that we don’t have our identities stolen? 

We have an active investigation to understand the impact more fully and will update the college community as we are able. This will take time.  

While the investigation is ongoing, if you are concerned about illegal use of your personal information, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Learn more at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/privacy-identity-online-security 

What concrete actions are being taken to prevent this happening in the future? 

Appropriate law enforcement agencies and Pellissippi State have launched full-scale investigations into this matter. Our model is a layered protection approach including firewalls and network segmentation to reduce risk. We are consistently reviewing systems protection and procedures. 

Is it safe to turn on my office computer? 

NTS has turned on PC’s in all offices in order to expand the work of the investigating group.  Even if the PC appears to be unaffected, it cannot get internet connectivity.  Please do NOT turn off your PC at this time. The investigation team asks that you do not use any college computer on campus (Macintosh or PC) at this time to allow our investigation to occur as quickly as possible. 

What if I have information to share or other questions? 

If you have technical questions about account access or changing your password, please contact the HelpDesk at 865-694-6537. 

If you have information you would like to share that could be relevant to the investigation of this attack, please contact Audrey Williams, vice president of Information Services, at cio@pstcc.edu 

 

If you have academic questions, please contact your dean or program coordinator. 

 

My Reconnect/Promise hasn’t shown up yet. How do I confirm my schedule?   

At this time, due to the network being down, you will not be able to confirm your schedule.  Please check www.tbr.edu/pellissippi-state-updates regularly for updates.  After our system is back up you will be able to confirm your schedule.  The current deadline to confirm is January 10, 2022.   

  

I recently enrolled but haven’t heard anything. What happens now?   

After our systems come back up, you will receive an email to the email address that you provided on your application. Then we will work with you to get your class schedule set for the spring term. 

  

How do I register for spring 2022 courses? How do I change my schedule?   

Course registration is currently not available. After it is up and available for students, you will be notified through this website:  www.tbr.edu/pellissippi-state-updates/ 

  

How can I get a copy of my transcript?  

 At this time we cannot print transcripts. Please check our update page at www.tbr.edu/pellissippi-state-updates.  We will update this page when students can request a transcript. 

  

How can I view my grades? 

Students can access Brightspace until 11:59 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. Those whose instructors use the Brightspace gradebook will be able to see their grades. We are working to restore other access to grades. We will update you through this web page: www.tbr.edu/pellissippi-state-updates