HAMMOND - Several months after a cybersecurity breach crippled Southeastern University's campus network, the college says no vital data was compromised.

In a statement Thursday, University President William S. Wainwright said an investigation concluded that the breach "did not involve any unauthorized access to or theft of personal identifiable information (“PII”). The university added that educational records were also untouched in the hack. 

It comes months after the breach brought the spring semester to a virtual halt for students and generated fears that sensitive information had been leaked online. Thursday marks the first time that the school has definitively declared that no one's private information was stolen. 

Read the statement below. 

Southeastern Louisiana University President William S. Wainwright provided the following update to Southeastern faculty, staff and students on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Dear University Family,

As you all know, the University experienced a network incident this past spring. Unfortunately, we also know this type of event is becoming more and more common. 

From the onset, our team’s primary focus was protecting student, faculty and staff data.  While the disruption was challenging, the approach in our response proved critical in ensuring our return to normalcy was done in as safe of a manner as possible. 

When the issue was detected, the IT team at Southeastern immediately contacted and began working with the Division of Administration, Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Secret Service, as well as the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to respond. Following the incident, an in-depth investigation was initiated to better understand the source and scope of the incident. Investigations as complex as this take time, and it was important that the work was conducted with the highest level of diligence to ensure the most thorough and complete results possible.

We have just recently been notified of the completion of this work and associated results. While there is information that remains confidential due to an ongoing criminal investigation, it has been concluded that the incident did not involve any unauthorized access to or theft of personal identifiable information (“PII”). It was further concluded that there was no unauthorized access to or theft of educational records. We are happy to be able to inform you of these results.

Finally, please know that Southeastern has worked to restore normal operations over the last several months and, yet again, has shown the region that our grit, determination and teamwork can overcome much adversity. We are confident that the work to fortify our systems to an even greater degree after this incident has placed Southeastern in a stronger security posture overall.

I want to thank each member of our IT team, as well as our students, faculty and staff for their patience, cooperation, and support as the university persevered through this challenge. While the complexity of the incident did not provide the opportunity for communications and transparency that our university family is accustomed to, please know that all actions were in direct support of ensuring the best outcome. I am both humbled and excited to be a part of such an amazing team!