Lehigh Carbon Community College: Cybersecurity expert weighs in as LCCC remains closed due to 'IT disruption'

Lehigh Carbon Community College Hit by IT Disruption, Campuses Remain Closed

Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) has faced an ongoing IT disruption, forcing the closure of its campuses since last week. As of Monday, the Allentown (Donley), Tamaqua (Morgan), and Airport locations remain shut down through at least Saturday, with no confirmed reopening date. The Schnecksville campus is set to reopen, though the situation has been described as chaotic.

While the college has not disclosed the cause of the disruption, cybersecurity experts suggest it may involve a potential breach. Josh Braskie, CEO of Simply IT, explained that forensic teams are typically brought in to determine how the threat entered the network, which systems were affected, and whether data was stolen or encrypted. The investigation and recovery process can take significant time, depending on the scope of the incident.

Despite the outage, LCCC’s online systems including Canvas, Zoom, and Google Workspace remain operational. The college has stated that it will provide updates as the forensic investigation and restoration efforts continue.

Cybersecurity professionals note that recovery involves not only fixing the immediate issue but also assessing how far the breach may have spread before systems can be safely restored. The incident highlights the challenges institutions face in responding to and recovering from IT disruptions.

Source: https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/cybersecurity-expert-weighs-in-as-lccc-remains-closed-due-to-it-disruption/article_9a3b181d-a382-46ba-9a50-8c1e89514b8d.html

Lehigh Carbon Community College cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/lehigh-carbon-community-college

"id": "LEH1773248539",
"linkid": "lehigh-carbon-community-college",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "3/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Students, faculty, and staff',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'Allentown (Donley), Tamaqua (Morgan), '
                                    'Airport, and Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, '
                                    'USA',
                        'name': 'Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC)',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Updates to be provided as investigation continues',
 'description': 'Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) has faced an ongoing '
                'IT disruption, forcing the closure of its campuses since last '
                'week. Cybersecurity experts suggest it may involve a '
                'potential breach, with forensic teams investigating the '
                'incident.',
 'impact': {'downtime': 'Campuses closed since last week (ongoing)',
            'operational_impact': 'Campus closures, chaotic situation, '
                                  'forensic investigation underway',
            'systems_affected': 'College IT systems (extent unknown)'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'references': [{'source': 'Local news and cybersecurity experts'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Updates to be provided as '
                                        'investigation continues',
              'recovery_measures': 'Ongoing restoration efforts',
              'third_party_assistance': 'Forensic teams involved'},
 'title': 'Lehigh Carbon Community College IT Disruption',
 'type': 'IT Disruption / Potential Breach'}