Gaston College Systems Interruption Updates
April 26, 2023
STUDENT SYSTEMS INFORMATION
There is no longer a need to access student systems through alternate links. Blackboard, Watermark, Office 365 and Self-Service are all accessible to students. Continuing Education class registration is also available online. At this time, on-campus Wi-Fi and some computer labs remain unavailable.
EMPLOYEE SYSTEMS INFORMATION
Access to some systems for employees may be limited to specific on-campus locations. Speak to your supervisor if you require access to a system that is not currently available at your workstation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The College continues to work with law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists to determine the extent of the network security incident and is working as expeditiously as possible to review potentially impacted data. Once the review is complete and we understand the full scope of information that may be impacted, we will notify any impacted individuals and provide additional information and resources. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding as the investigation continues.
Should you wish to take steps proactively to protect your personal information, please monitor your accounts and monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. The Federal Trade Commission website, www.identitytheft.gov, also has additional resources to learn about identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and other steps you can take to protect yourself.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please contact us at systems@gaston.edu.
March 20, 2023
STUDENT SYSTEMS INFORMATION
Curriculum students are currently able to access the following systems using the below links. Please understand that these systems may need to be intermittently and temporarily taken offline.
Blackboard: https://gcvlc.blackboard.com
Watermark: http://Gaston.avisoapp.com
Office 365: http://login.microsoftonline.com
Self-Service: https://ss-prod-cloud.gaston.edu/Student
Transcript requests can be made through self-service now.
On-campus Wi-Fi is not accessible at this time. Some computer labs on campus remain closed.
Phone lines are still experiencing sporadic issues. If you are waiting on hold and continue to get a message about being next we recommend you email systems@gaston.edu with your question.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
To register for continuing education classes, please call 704.922.6234.
EMPLOYEE SYSTEMS INFORMATION
Employees can connect to the internet on office computers or in classrooms at the Dallas campus using a wired internet connection only. Wi-Fi is not available at this time.
Access for employee email should be done using Outlook through the Office 365 website link only – http://login.microsoftonline.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please contact us at systems@gaston.edu.
March 12, 2023
Gaston College continues to work with law enforcement and other partners to investigate the ransomware attack that occurred on Feb. 22. Upon discovery of the incident, the college immediately took critical systems offline, and work has been ongoing to determine the safest and most efficient process to fully restore all systems.
The security of our students, faculty, and staff remains our primary focus as we bring our systems back online. Some of our systems remain unavailable at this time and additional temporary interruptions to our service may be experienced as we continue to address the impacts of this attack.
Our faculty and staff continue to work hard to maintain normal operations. Classes have continued as scheduled since the attack and will resume following spring break on Monday, March 13. Curriculum students should continue using the links below to access Blackboard, Watermark and Office 365 at this time.
Our staff and partners are working tirelessly to safely restore the remaining affected systems. We appreciate your patience and will continue to provide updates on this page.
STUDENT SYSTEMS INFORMATION
Curriculum students are currently able to access the following systems using the below links. Please understand that these systems may need to be intermittently and temporarily taken offline. We will communicate updates on access via our website.
Blackboard: https://gcvlc.blackboard.com
Watermark: http://Gaston.avisoapp.com
Office 365: http://login.microsoftonline.com
Self-service and on-campus Wi-Fi are not accessible at this time. Computer labs on campus remain closed.
Phone lines are still experiencing sporadic issues. If you are waiting on hold and continue to get a message about being next we recommend you email the systems@gaston.edu email with your question.
TRANSCRIPTS
Making a request for transcripts via self-service is not currently available. You can find alternative ways to request a copy of your transcript on our website – Transcript Requests. If you have any other questions about your transcripts you can reach the Records and Registration office at 704.922.6214 or gcregistrar@gaston.edu.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
To register for continuing education classes, please call 704.922.6234.
EMPLOYEE SYSTEMS INFORMATION
Employees can connect to the internet on office computers or in classrooms at the Dallas campus using a wired internet connection only. Wi-Fi is not available at this time.
Access for employee email should be done using Outlook through the Office 365 website link only – http://login.microsoftonline.com.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please contact us at systems@gaston.edu.
March 3, 2023
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Gaston College was the victim of a ransomware attack by an unknown threat actor. Upon discovery of the incident, the college immediately took critical systems offline and initiated an investigation into the attack. This investigation is ongoing.
In accordance with North Carolina law governing state agencies, Gaston College did not engage with the threat actor and promptly involved agency partners – including the FBI, Secret Service, North Carolina Community College Systems Office, and the North Carolina Joint Cybersecurity Task Force – to secure possibly affected systems.
With the help of these agencies and through engagement of additional vendor resources, the college’s goal is to fully restore systems in the coming weeks. We appreciate your continued patience as our staff and others work tirelessly to assess and restore affected systems.
As we navigate our response to this attack, the security of our students, faculty, and staff remains Gaston College’s top focus. As such, we will continue work through next week’s spring break in our ongoing effort to bring College systems online safely.
Additional interruptions to our services may be experienced as we continue to assess impacted systems. We ask for your continued patience as we continue addressing the impacts of this attack.
STUDENT SYSTEM LINKS AND ACCESS
Curriculum students are currently able to access the following systems using the below links. Please understand that these systems may need to be intermittently and temporarily taken offline. We will communicate updates on access via our website.
Blackboard: https://gcvlc.blackboard.com
Watermark: http://Gaston.avisoapp.com
Office 365: http://login.microsoftonline.com
Self-service is not accessible at this time.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
To register for continuing education classes, please call 704.922.6234.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please contact us at systems@gaston.edu.
February 28, 2023
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Gaston College discovered a potential network security issue. Out of an abundance of caution, the college’s critical systems have been taken offline while the issue is investigated.
The college is working with agency partners to determine the extent of the issue and to assess any potentially affected systems.
We have and plan to continue to maintain campus operations and classes by providing alternative links via the website and social media for students and employees to access Blackboard, Watermark and Office365.
Self-Service is not currently available. The ability for faculty and staff to send/receive emails to students not using their gaston.edu emails has been intermittent. Please check Blackboard for instructor announcements with alternate ways to contact them.
Additional interruptions to our services may be experienced in the coming days. We ask for your continued patience as we work with our partners to assess and restore our systems.
We will continue to provide updates on our website.
STUDENT SYSTEM LINKS
Curriculum students are currently able to access the following systems using the below links. Please understand that these systems may need to be intermittently and temporarily taken offline. We will communicate updates on access via our website.
Blackboard: https://gcvlc.blackboard.com
Watermark: http://Gaston.avisoapp.com
Office 365: http://login.microsoftonline.com
Self-service is not accessible at this time.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
To register for continuing education classes, please call 704.922.6234.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any further questions, please contact us at systems@gaston.edu.
