A ransomware attack on a third-party service provider is disrupting students’ ability to use City Bucks, an online currency for off-campus vendors, limiting food access for students living in South Campus.
This attack targeted BridgePay, the company that authorizes CityBucks transactions. The University assured students that they were working with BridgePay's technical teams and considering this service interruption a “highest-priority matter,” according to an email sent to students by Cornell Dining on Feb. 10.
BridgePay cited the interruption was caused by a ransomware attack and said that they were investigating the issue with help from the FBI. They emphasized that no payment data had been compromised, and that they are continuing to make "meaningful progress" in restoring service, according to its website.
The University emailed an update on Friday, informing students that some locations, including Ithaca To Go and GreenStar, are now able to process City Bucks, but that the success of City Bucks transactions may vary based on the merchant.
Though the University first informed students of the technical difficulties through an email on Feb. 10, some students had already begun experiencing issues with their City Bucks prior.
“I had to find out that my City Bucks were no longer working through getting denied at multiple businesses when I tried to use them,” said Cohen Fitzwater ’28, a resident at Cascadilla Hall on South Campus.
Like many other residents of South Campus, Fitzwater uses the Collegetown Meal Plan, which offers 10 meal swipes per week, $500 in Big Red Bucks per semester and $436 in City Bucks per semester.
For a student eating three meals a day, fewer than half of their meals are covered by meal swipes, making City Bucks essential for off-campus dining.
“With City Bucks being out of service, that means the majority of meals that we were eating off-campus we now have to pay for,” Fitzwater said. “It’s a really big burden to put on people.”
Other residents of Cascadilla, like Ashley Bass ’28, rely on City Bucks to buy their groceries.
Bass buys her groceries monthly from Tops at the Shops at Ithaca Mall but she said that the service disruption would delay her shopping trip until the weekend after she initially intended.
“I was planning to go over break to restock on my stuff, but I obviously don't think that's gonna happen now,” Bass said. “I think everyone's a little annoyed by it.”
The University is continuing work towards a solution. BridgePay has been “actively assisting Ithaca merchants in restoring functionality” and Cornell Dining remains “in close contact with City Bucks program administrators” who are working alongside BridgePay to resolve the issue, Cornell Dining wrote in a statement to The Sun.
As the service interruption continues, students relying on City Bucks are experiencing an increased financial burden.
When asked if he was buying food from other businesses at this time, Fitzwater said he was “just getting less food.”
Giselle Redmond is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at gredmond@cornellsun.com.
