Campus Alert Archive
EWC

Cyberattack Knocks Out Phone, Email, and Computer Systems at Eastern Wyoming College for Over a Week

WYotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington discovered a cyberattack against its administrative network on the morning of June 22, 2021, disabling all computer, phone, and email systems at both the Torrington main campus and the Douglas satellite campus. College officials worked with local law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and IT professionals to remediate the incident over several days. Forensic investigators confirmed no data was breached and no ransom was paid, making it a rare higher-education cyber incident with a relatively clean resolution.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Eastern Wyoming College
Community College · WY
~1,400 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction446 chars
Eastern Wyoming College has been targeted by an unknown third party that has attacked the college's administrative network. The attack has disabled the college's computer, phone and email systems. We are working with local law enforcement agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, local IT professionals and state IT professionals. Please visit either campus in person or leave a message at our general voicemail at 307-532-8200 to reach us.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The college could not send email alerts because the email system was disabled by the attack; the primary communication channel was the college's website and local news, consistent with Cowboy State Daily's June 22 coverage.
With phone systems also down, the general voicemail at 307-532-8200 served as the primary point of contact, illustrating how a cyberattack can simultaneously disable all normal emergency communication channels.
UPDATEWebsite
Approximate reconstruction416 chars
Eastern Wyoming College continues to work with cybersecurity experts to address Tuesday's attack on our administrative network. Both our Torrington and Douglas campuses are operating at limited capacity as we conduct a methodical assessment and restoration process. All employees have been affected. We are reformatting and scanning each individual system before returning it to service. Updates will be posted here.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Cowboy State Daily's June 23 update confirmed EWC was still limiting operations a day after the attack, with no estimate for full restoration.
The decision to reformat and scan each machine individually before returning it to service reflects best-practice incident response, though it extended the disruption significantly.
ALL CLEARWebsite
Approximate reconstruction373 chars
Eastern Wyoming College has restored its network systems following the June 22 cyberattack. Forensic professionals have confirmed that no data was breached during the incident. We recommend all students and employees update their usernames and passwords as a precautionary measure. We thank the community for their patience and the many partners who supported our recovery.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Torrington Telegram reported that forensic professionals confirmed no breach occurred and that any files accessed during the event had been deleted, a relatively positive outcome compared to most higher-education cyberattacks.
EWC's recommendation to change passwords even without confirmed breach is standard post-incident practice; the incident occurred during summer, limiting impact on enrolled students.
Context

Background

Eastern Wyoming College is a small two-year community college serving Goshen and Converse counties in southeastern Wyoming, with a main campus in Torrington and a satellite campus in Douglas. On June 22, 2021, an unknown third party attacked EWC's administrative network, disabling all computer, phone, and email systems at both locations. All employees were affected, and the college operated at limited capacity while remediation proceeded with support from local law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and state IT professionals. Because email was disabled, the college directed community members to visit campuses in person or call the general voicemail at 307-532-8200. The attack occurred during summer when enrollment pressure is lower, limiting impact on students. Forensic analysis confirmed no data breach occurred, distinguishing this incident from many higher-education cyberattacks that result in large-scale data exfiltration. EWC recommended that all students and employees change their credentials as a precaution. The incident was part of a broader trend in 2021 of ransomware and cyberattacks targeting small and rural colleges, which typically lack dedicated cybersecurity staff.
Analysis

Key Findings

EWC's cyberattack disabled all computer, phone, and email systems simultaneously, forcing the college to rely on its website and a general voicemail number as the only communication channels
Forensic analysis confirmed no student or employee data was breached, a relatively rare positive outcome for a higher-education cyberattack in 2021
The summer timing and small enrollment (approximately 1,400 students) limited academic disruption, but the incident highlighted the cybersecurity vulnerability of small rural community colleges
Outcome
College officials worked with local law enforcement, DHS, and IT professionals to restore systems over several days. Forensic analysis confirmed no student or employee data was accessed or exfiltrated. Systems were restored by late June 2021. No ransom was paid. EWC recommended all students change their usernames and passwords as a precaution.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Eastern Wyoming College In Torrington Hit With Cyberattack
    cowboystatedaily.com
  2. News
    Eastern Wyoming College Still Disabled Following Cyberattack
    cowboystatedaily.com
  3. News
    Eastern Wyoming College Victim of Cybersecurity Attack
    pinebluffspost.com
  4. News
    No data breached from EWC
    torringtontelegram.com
Tags
cyberattackransomwareit-incidentwyomingcommunity-collegedhsno-data-breach
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion