A major cyberattack has locked 600 students and staff out of their Microsoft Teams accounts at St Albert the Great College in Malta, Times of Malta reported.
The breach, discovered on March 5 during carnival holidays, has raised concerns about the potential loss of academic and sensitive data.
College rector Fr Aaron Zahra OP told Times of Malta that 120 staff and 450 students were affected, losing access to academic materials such as homework, handouts, and administrative communications.
Some accounts also contained sensitive social case data, though email accounts remained unaffected.
The college quickly reported the incident to the police cybercrime unit, which responded within two hours.
Microsoft also confirmed the hack and launched its own investigation, promising an update within eight days. In the meantime, the college is implementing a temporary solution to ensure learning continues.
Microsoft Teams plays a crucial role in Malta’s education system, offering chat, video conferencing, and file sharing for students and teachers.
Sources suggest other schools may have also been targeted, pointing to a potential larger-scale attack.
Authorities are investigating the breach, ToM reported, and the college is fully cooperating to assess the damage and identify those responsible.
#MaltaDaily
