WEST BARNSTABLE — Cape Cod Community College President John Cox told college employees that hackers stole just over $800,000 from the community college last week in an elaborate phishing scheme.

In the email that went out to Cape Cod Community College faculty Friday, Cox said state and federal officials are investigating the theft, during which hackers used "sophisticated, malicious malware designed to evade common antivirus software."

"As a result of this attack, college banking information was compromised and $807,130 was fraudulently transferred."

The college has identified and prevented several subsequent attacks on its network and has worked with its bank to recover $278,887 of the stolen funds, Cox said.

"The recovery process is ongoing," he said in the email.

There is no evidence that personally identifiable information or student and employee records were compromised, Cox said.

"Payroll and other financial services will not be impacted," Cox said in the email.

As soon as college officials learned of the attack, they identified and contained the virus and replaced all the infected hard drives, Cox said.

"The college is also continuing to install next-generation endpoint protection software campus wide, and is reinforcing security protocols with our employees," Cox said.

He said the community college also is working closely with its bank and state officials including the Comptroller's Office "to protect against future attacks."

Cox also asked faculty to "use the highest degree of caution upon receipt of unsolicited or unexpected emails or phone calls."

"You may be familiar with (the) phrase, 'If you see something, say something.' This hyper-vigilance and practice is relevant to our cyber security as well as our physical security," Cox said in the email.

"If you are suspicious of any message or attachment you receive, please contact the I.T. Help Desk at extension 4004 immediately."

The community college is hosting a meeting Monday "to learn more about what our college is doing to prevent future occurrences, and what you be looking out for to protect yourself," Cox said.