The prolonged service outage affecting educational institutions worldwide has prompted workarounds amid delayed ransomware confirmation by the affected firm.

Software firm MathWorks has acknowledged that a ransomware attack was responsible for a prolonged outage affecting MATLAB, its widely-used computational platform serving millions of users globally.

The cybersecurity incident had begun on 18 May 2025, initially causing disruptions to multiple applications before escalating into a week-long service interruption. MathWorks only confirmed the ransomware attack yesterday, more than a week after users first reported problems accessing the platform.

The attack have severely impacted the firm’s IT infrastructure, rendering various online applications and internal systems unavailable. The cloud-based version of the software has been particularly affected, due to the compromised licensing server that has prevented users from authenticating their credentials.

Educational sector hit hardest

The timing has proved especially problematic for academic institutions, as the outage occurred during peak examination season in some regions. Students worldwide found have themselves unable to access the firm’s software for thesis submissions and coursework completion. In educational settings where cloud version is predominantly used, the damage has been much more debilitating compared to users in commercial environments that often maintain independent licensing servers.

Frustrated students on Reddit have been reportedly resorting to various workarounds, including disconnecting internet connections before launching locally installed versions. Some have admitted to pirating the software temporarily, despite holding legitimate licenses, citing urgent research deadlines and the firm’s inadequate crisis communications.

Recovery efforts and current status

MathWorks has engaged federal law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists to address the breach. While core MATLAB functionality has largely returned, several services remain offline or operate with reduced capabilities. The firm’s Licensing Center continues experiencing issues, although online licensing services have reportedly resumed operation.

Commercial customers with proprietary licensing infrastructure have experienced minimal disruption, highlighting the vulnerability of cloud-dependent services.

Although the firm did provide regular status updates throughout the incident, users have criticized the lack of specific information until the ransomware confirmation. The incident underscores the growing threat ransomware poses to educational technology platforms, and the cascading effects such attacks can have on academic schedules and research projects.

MathWorks has not disclosed whether data was stolen or if ransom demands have been made.