Public Safety Canada is warning of a global ransomware attack known as "WannaCry".

Queen's network has not, as of now, been infected and we are taking steps to further protect our systems.

The ransomware enters networks through malicious emails (phishing), or by being downloaded from infected websites. Once on the network, the infection is able to worm from one computer to another by exploiting vulnerabilities in the way that Windows computers share files and other services.

While the impact of this attack has mostly been felt in countries overseas, the University's IT Network and Security teams are taking proactive steps to prevent the spread of this attack to Queen's.

For more information about the attack and the measures Queen's is taking, please view the "In the Spotlight" story on the ITS homepage titled "Important Notice of New Ransomware Attack".