If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. 30, 2020. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced it has been targeted by a cyber attack. Newcastle University students' data held to ransom by cyber criminals. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? It's notched-up notable achievements such as locating the Titanic in 1985, more than 70 years after it sunk, the WSJ reported. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire. Mr Hogg said: "This should include backups that are kept offline from their operational IT systems, meaning they can be used to restore services in the case of a serious cyber attack. The first was Michigan State University, then the University of California, San Francisco, … Both Newcastle and Northumbria universities were hit with a cyber attack in the first week of September. The university announced the ransom payment Tuesday, a week after the initial attack. Warren warned the more such attacks are imminent if the government of Australia shows a blind eye towards its cyber adversaries. It notified the universities affected on July 16 who then advised those affected to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity following the data breach. Higher education is a lucrative target of cyberattacks because of the huge amount of data colleges collect, said Donald J. Welch, chief information-security officer at Pennsylvania State University. Stacey Solomon engaged to Joe Swash after he proposed with HUGE diamond in woods, Horrifying moment teen is shot in the neck outside deli in broad daylight, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. "This also presents malicious attackers with an opportunity to imitate an unfamiliar login screen or email with a new link and therefore we’re seeing more successful attacks as a result.". Download the Full Incidents List Below is a summary of incidents from over the last year. Regis is not the only university to suffer from a crippling cyberattack just before the start of the new academic year. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. As is the case with many organisations, Macquarie University is also under regular attack from cyber criminals. The Stevens Institute of Technology reported on Aug. 10 that it was the … Education establishments have been warned by the UK's cybersecurity agency the National Cyber Security Centre, a part of GCHQ, after a rise in attacks as the new term begins. According to … "While these attacks broadly use the same tactics as before, like phishing emails and ransomware, there is now an increased opportunity to brand these malicious emails with convincing headlines for example imitating a correspondence relating to furlough payments or a critical Covid update from the World Health Organization. Cyber attacks on higher education institutions are on the rise across the globe, with multiple, unconnected attacks hitting the headlines in … The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced it has been targeted by a cyber attack. But iDefense, a cybersecurity firm which detects and defends against such hacking, said it had uncovered a substantial list of the universities being targeted. Jul. A Navy spokesperson declined to comment on the hacking at the universities, but said the force recognised the seriousness of the threats. A Penn State spokesperson declined to say whether the university had been comprised, saying that the school immediately notifies the government and relevant partners whenever there is a breach. "Many attacks will start with extremely well-crafted targeted spear phishing emails that look genuine to the untrained eye," he added. The University of Utah says nearly $500,000 it paid to cyber thieves in a ransomware attack did not come out of tuition, grants or taxpayer funded accounts. Phishing emails posed as a legitimate messages from other universities seeking research. More than 1,152 intrusions into UK university networks had been recorded in 2016-17, it said. BRITAIN’S top universities have been targeted by cyber thugs working on behalf of foreign states – who want top secret research on missiles and defence systems, it has been revealed. ""Unlike the fast-money schemes typical of more common targeted attacks, APTs are designed to satisfy the requirements of international espionage and/or sabotage, usually involving covert state actors. Anthony O’Mara, VP EMEA of Malwarebytes, highlights the cyber security issues universities are facing and what steps they can take to protect themselves from a cyber attack Oxford, Warwick , and Greenwich Universities are among many of the higher education institutes to have fallen victim to attacks … Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . That amounts to 132,368 attacks per month if evenly spread throughout nine months. In the latest wave of attacks, a total of 76 universities in 14 countries have been targeted including institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, China, and Switzerland. Many of Newcastle's systems were not operating, while Northumbria's exams and its clearing hotline were affected. Watersons cyber expert Stew Hogg said: "Cyber criminals target organisations at peak times in their calendar to increase the chances of their ransom demands being met. We pay for your stories! More than 1,152 intrusions into UK university networks had been recorded in 2016-17, it said. "Anyone in these universities must remain extra vigilant … We pay for videos too. And thieves were interested in defence technologies as well as research into novel fuels and better batteries. For other inquiries, Contact Us. In this targeted attack, emails were sent to the presidents of several colleges and universities threatening mass shootings and bombings if a payment of 1.2 Bitcoin, approximately … British universities are being hit by hundreds of successful cyber-attacks every year, reports the Times. The alert comes after data from more than 20 universities and charities in the UK, US and Canada was breached earlier this year, due a third party attack. Why are universities targeted by cyber-attacks? At the University of Connecticut, student Social Security numbers and … The University of Calgary paid a demanded $20,000 after a "ransomware" cyberattack on its computer systems. Newcastle University and Northumbria have both been targeted by cyber-attacks this month, and a group of further education colleges in Yorkshire and a higher education college in … Universities and colleges around the world are being targeted by a new phishing campaign, according to fresh research published by RiskIQ. But financial gain is not the only reason universities are targeted – hackers may attempt to steal research used for the Government or private companies. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Hackers are demanding money from the university in order not to leak student and staff data stolen in the attack. "These attacks are specially crafted against a victim and cyber-attacks who employ such techniques often have a clear goal or type of informational that they are looking to obtain," he said. The unit’s research is to be reported this week and, according to the WSJ, “is the latest indication that Chinese cyber attacks to steal US military and economic secrets are on the rise”. This week the National Cyber Security Centre issued its latest alert warning of the threat to disruptive attacks aimed at the education sector, following a spate of attacks on schools, colleges, and universities.. Universities targeted by cyber attacks and phishing Data breaches at prominent Universities in Australia have recently featured in the news. The UK’s Open University has been targeted with over 1 million malicious email attacks from January to September this year, according to official figures obtained by the think tank Parliament Street following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.. “Cancelling exams, writing off grades, and cutting off services is not an option, and cyber criminals know this, which also makes the sector one of the most targeted by ransomware attacks. National critical infrastructure consists of systems, facilities and networks that are essential in the country running day-to-day. The Navy has awarded contracts to some of the institutions, while others, such as Sahmyook University in South Korea, could have been targeted because of their proximity to China, and relevance to the South China Sea, the WSJ quotes analysts as saying. Mr Hogg added: "We have certainly seen an increase in the frequency of cyber attacks since the Covid pandemic. A second cyber attack in a week has been carried out on a university in Newcastle. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued the alert following a recent spike in ransomware attacks on educational institutions blocking access to computer systems. By Reece Goodall. ©Copyright 2001-2020. Both Newcastle and Northumbria universities were hit with a cyber attack in the first week of September. US cyber firm FireEye, which studied the same hacking group, confirmed the iDefense findings were “generally consistent with their own intelligence”. According to iDefense, the cyberattacks were conducted via phishing emails that posed as a legitimate messages from other universities seeking research. Prior to our locking the cyber-criminal out, the cyber-criminal removed a copy of a subset of data from our self-hosted environment. ", Get involved with the news in your community, This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. Hackers specifically target universities for the sensitive information stored in their systems. Three institutions were successfully targeted by hackers using this approach in the past two weeks. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. 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