Cyber attacks during exams

Auckland University students have been frustrated by repeated cyber attacks in the midst of exams.

The university confirmed the attacks, which law student Matthew O’Connell said had downed course resource platform Canvas for between one and 12 hours on an almost daily basis over the past fortnight. O’Connell, 19, said the attacks had come ‘‘at the worst time possible – when we really rely on Canvas to study’’ and could affect some students’ exam performance. The university emailed students on Thursday explaining that while systems were in place to mitigate the effects of similar attacks, the latest spate had been ‘‘unique and typically for one hour at a time’’. It acknowledged information technology services ‘‘related to teaching and learning’’ had been hit.

O’Connell said Canvas gave access to lecture slides and recordings ‘‘crucial’’ for last-minute study. An ‘‘oops message’’ would appear on computer screens when the site was down, he said.

He was concerned about ‘‘the impact this would have had on less prepared students’’. The university’s exam period runs until Monday.

O’Connell said he was disappointed in the length of time it took the university to explain what was going on.

In its email to students, viewed by Auckland University said it believed it was the only university experiencing these particular cyber attacks.

It said measures were being put in place to minimise their impact, and apologised for any inconvenience.

A spokeswoman for the university said the issue had been ‘‘vexatious rather than problematic’’.