September 7, 2017, by Sharon Caine

Cyber attacks target universities

As we move closer towards the start of a new academic session, Information Services would ask our UoN community to be particularly vigilant regarding cyber security and phishing attacks, as we will very likely see an increase in activity at this time of year, especially targeting new students.

This week the BBC reported reported that British universities are now being hit by hundreds of cyber-attacks every year with 1,152 intrusions into UK university networks recorded during 2016-17. Attacks are both targeted at new students attempting to surface financial information but also at university staff seeking to steal research data and documents to sell on.

We would advise all university staff and students to be extremely vigilant regarding potential ‘phishing’ emails or suspicious attachments. Our ‘Avoid Phishing emails’ website outlines tips on how to spot scam emails and phishing attempts. Visit our  Cyber Safety web pages to learn other ways to stay safe online.

If you think you have given your personal information out through an email scam, contact the IT Service Desk for help.

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