Cyber Incident Victim: St Albert the Great College
Date:
Mar 2025
Location:
Malta
Summary
St Albert the Great Collegeexperienced a cyberattack that locked out at least 120 staff and 450 student Microsoft Teams accounts, disrupting access to academic materials, homework assignments, administrative communications, and sensitive data related to social cases while leaving email accounts unaffected. The incident was reported to the police cybercrime unit, which responded quickly, and Microsoft confirmed the breach and began its own investigation. In response, the college implemented a temporary alternative to maintain educational services as authorities continue to investigate the scope and origin of the attack.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On March 5, duringthe carnival holidays, St Albert the Great College in Valletta discovered that staff and student Microsoft Teams accounts had been locked out, prompting the college to investigate the cause. The rector, Fr Aaron Zahra OP, explained that the lockout was noticed automatically when users attempted to access their Teams accounts. At least 120 staff members and 450 students were affected, representing a total of 600 locked accounts. The compromised Teams accounts contained academic materials such as handouts, homework assignments, and internal communications between administration and staff, and some also held sensitive data related to social cases being investigated by the college. Email accounts used by staff and students were not impacted by the attack. Upon discovering the breach, the college reported the incident to the police cybercrime unit and received a rapid response, with both the rector and the college’s IT technician getting two calls from the unit within two hours of filing the report at the Valletta police station.
Microsoft was also contacted and confirmed the hack, launching its own investigation and promising to provide an update within eight days. While awaiting the outcome, the college implemented a temporary alternative system to maintain continuity of educational services for staff and students. Fr Zahra noted that other schools could be targeted in the coming weeks, a concern echoed by education sources who told Times of Malta that similar attacks might have occurred elsewhere or could occur soon. The police indicated they had received three reports of alleged hacking related to the incident, but said investigations were still at an early stage and therefore could not share further details. The college stated it is cooperating fully with authorities to determine the full extent of the damage and to identify those responsible. The investigation remains ongoing as of the date of the report.