'Small proportion' of University of Manchester students' data hacked

The University of Manchester said it has contacted those affected

A "small proportion of data" related to some University of Manchester students and alumni was believed to have been copied by hackers during a cyber attack, the institution has said.

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

An email threatened to sell personal data on the black market if the university did not meet demands.

The university said it had contacted those affected.

The establishment, which has about 40,000 students and 12,000 staff, said in a statement: "We understand that this will create concern for some, but we would like to assure our community that our internal and external experts are working around the clock to continue to address this and our investigations are continuing.

"We are asking all staff and students to remain vigilant of any suspicious emails, including those that appear to come from those responsible for this incident.

"Do not engage with or reply to these emails in any way."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]