University of Manchester trying to resolve "cyber incident"

The University of Manchester has confirmed experts are working to resolve a "cyber incident".

On Friday morning, the institution said some of its data had been accessed by an "unauthorised party" and data have "likely been copied".

The uni said it was working with a number of organisations including the Information Commissioner's Office, National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency.

Bosses have apologised for any concern the incident may cause to members of the community. They also advised staff not to download files from university systems in order to back them up.

In a statement released this morning, Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer said:

"Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident. It has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied. Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident. We are working to understand what data have been accessed and will update you as more information becomes available.

"As you would expect, we are also working with the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency, and other regulatory bodies.

"We know this will cause concern to members of our community and we are very sorry for this.

"Our priority is to resolve this issue and provide information to those affected as soon as we are able to, and we are focusing all available resources.

"Please carry on as usual. You should be vigilant to any suspicious phishing email. The NCSC has guidance for individuals advising on how to protect against the impacts of data breaches: Data breaches: guidance for individuals and families – NCSC.GOV.UK. There is also guidance on phishing. University IT Services have also published advice.

"We also advise staff not to download files from University systems in order to back them up.

"We have limited information that we can share at this stage, but if you have questions you can contact information.assurance@manchester.ac.uk and we will respond as soon as we’re able.

"We will continue to provide updates when we have further information to share."

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