RCMP continue to investigate the malicious, sexually explicit images of a female student distributed via email to staff and students of the Université de Moncton last weekend.

The investigation is still in its early stages, but RCMP confirm the victim of the attack has come forward and filed an official complaint.

Constable Hans Ouellette says a number of people lodged complaints after the emails were circulated over the weekend.

"It's under Section 162.1, Subsection 1 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which deals with publication and distribution of sexual images without one's consent," explains Constable Ouellette.

Université de Moncton President Raymond Théberge said in an update Tuesday the victim is seeking counselling at the school, something advocates say is key in recovery.

"It's important that we not lose sight of the human being at the centre of all of this. There is a woman who has been subject to a vicious attack, and it's really important that we rally around her and she has all the support she needs," says Beth Lyons, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Women's Council.

"It's not like cyber violence or online violence isn't real violence. Something like this is part of the continuum of violence against women. It's really about oppressing women, controlling them," Lyons continues.

RCMP revealed Tuesday there is a potential suspect, but can't confirm whether they have the right person because they haven't been able to contact them.

The matter becomes more complicated with the possibility the emails were sent from outside Canada. University officials confirmed they originated from a server in Europe. In one message, the writer claims to be in Morocco.

"Internet related crimes kind of happen in both places. They happen where the victims are, but they also happen where the perpetrator is. Certainly the introduction of the internet into these sorts of equations and an international nature raise the complexity in a whole bunch of ways,” says privacy lawyer David Fraser.

RCMP say they cannot confirm their suspect is outside the country.

David Shipley doesn't mince words when describing what happened to the victim.

"This is not sexual harassment, this is online sexual exploitation. This is a heinous crime that has long term consequences," says David Shipley, Director of Strategic Initiatives for IT Services at UNB.

"We don't yet know the mechanism that was used. U de M is currently investigating that, so maybe it was a group that was set up for benign purposes. You know, e-mail is a tool. It can be used for good, it could be used for bad," adds Shipley.

With the backdrop of a cybersecurity announcement, Premier Brian Gallant, a graduate of Université de Moncton, had strong words for what's happened.

"Our thoughts are certainly with the victims with this horrible situation. Again, I'm not aware of all the details, but certainly it's a reminder of how important is it that we are cyber safe," says Gallant.

The head of Cyber NB agrees with the premier's sentiment, saying it's not whether you could be attacked, but when.

"It's a travesty, that we have to protect ourselves as individuals from those type of events and also, you know, institutions as well. The damage it causes... these are criminals, make no mistake about it. This is a privacy breach and this is subject to legal ramifications," says cyber security expert Al Dillon of Cyber NB.

The Université de Moncton is reviewing its protocols to try and prevent something similar from happening again.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke and Laura Brown.