Manchester University, one of the largest universities in the UK with a high number of students, has fallen prey to a cyberattack. According to a notification from the university, hackers got unauthorized access to confidential data stored in the university’s internal systems and possibly copied them.
The university has expressed its regret and acknowledged that the incident will cause anxiety among students. However, Manchester University’s internal team and an unnamed external cybersecurity company are yet to determine the specific data that was taken. The institution pledged to inform students as more information emerges.
In a frequently asked questions section about the incident, the university admitted that it discovered the attack earlier this week and confirmed that at least some of its systems were accessed. More than 40,000 students and 12,000 university employees have been warned to be on guard against phishing emails.
The university has not branded the attack as the work of extortionists. Instead, it indicated that it’s still investigating the attackers’ identities and is working closely with the authorities to uncover the culprits behind the breach.
It’s not yet known if the attackers tried to extort the institution, or if they merely sought to steal confidential research conducted at the university. Cyberattacks on European educational institutions are becoming commonplace. Only a few days ago, we reported an attack on the University of Marseille, the largest university in France in terms of students reportedly carried out by extortionists.
Representatives of the university have committed to collaborating with stakeholders keenly to resolve the matter.