University of Manchester: Students and staff sent data leak threat

The University of Manchester says it is "focussing all available resources" on resolving the issue

University students and staff have been sent emails warning them of an imminent data leak by a group claiming to be hackers behind a cyber attack.

Some of the University of Manchester's systems were "accessed by an unauthorised party" on 6 June.

The email, seen by the BBC, threatened of a "last warning" before personal data would be disclosed due to the university not meeting demands.

The university said it was "working around-the-clock" to resolve the issue.

The establishment, which has about 40,000 students and 12,000 staff, has not confirmed how many people are affected by the incident.

Black market

The email threatened students and staff by telling them their personal data would be sold on the black market if the university did not resolve the situation.

A university spokeswoman said: "Following our reporting of a cyber-incident earlier this month, we are aware that some staff and students have been sent emails purporting to be from the people behind it.

"All staff and students should be wary of opening suspicious emails or phishing attempts, and report them to our IT department."

She said the university was "working around-the-clock" to "understand what data has been accessed" and was "focussing all available resources" on it.

Anyone affected by the incident would be contacted through university channels, she added.

The university is working with the Information Commissioner's Office, the North West Organised Crime Unit and the National Cyber Security Centre over the cyber attack.

The Information Commissioner's Office has been contacted by the BBC.

A university spokesman said previously the 6 June cyber incident had "no known link" to the MOVEit hack that hit employers including the BBC, Boots and British Airways.

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