Hackers hit Maricopa Community College District

May 21, 2013

Computer hackers have forced the Maricopa Community College District to shut down its primary website. The district said nearly 280,000 students and employees could be affected. It set up a temporary site after malware was discovered on its main site. Before the problem was uncovered, visitors to Maricopa.edu could have had their computers infected.

Spokesman Tom Gariepy said the temporary site looks similar but has decreased usability.  

“Because we’ve had to shut down a variety of the databases that are a part of the Marcopa.edu website,” Gariepy explained, “until the website can be repaired, we expect that there will be at least some inconvenience involved with that.”

Gariepy said there is no way of knowing exactly how many people are affected by these changes or if anyone was infected with malware before the hacking was caught. He said no student grades were impacted. Gariepy said the district does know who was the behind the hacking and when the site will be fully operational.

KJZZ is licensed to Rio Salado Community College which is part of the Maricopa County Community College District.