College of the Desert goes offline due to malware attack. Here's how to access your information

College of the Desert will begin its fall semester Monday despite experiencing a malware attack last Sunday that caused the college's website and email system to go offline. The school is still working on resolving the issue, officials said.

The majority of classes this fall will be conducted virtually and students have been unable to access their schedules or register for new classes prior to the start of the semester.

A third-party forensic team has been approved to assist the college's technology department to help bring systems back online. A report on the attack has also been filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a press release posted on the school's Facebook page.

“While we cannot provide an exact timeframe for the complete remediation of College systems, we are working diligently to ensure systems and operations are restored as soon as possible,"  said Dr. Joel Kinnamon, the college's president, in a press release.

Students who need to pay fees will not be dropped from their classes while systems are down. Students can also contact the counseling office through “Cranium Café," using their Canvas accounts at collegeofthedesert.craniumcafe.com/login.

To reset your Canvas username/password, students should email CODCanvasHelp2020@mycod.us with their username, student ID number and phone number. A College of the Desert staff member will call to verify your identity before resetting your password.

The attack has affected faculty, staff and students, but there is no evidence that any personal identity information has been compromised, according to the press release.

College of the Desert will continue providing updates through its Facebook page.