Hackers targeting University of Warwick

THE University of Warwick is among those struggling with cyber crime, according to reports that hackers are targeting some of the UK’s leading institutes for scientific, engineering, medical and defence research.

There were more than 1,100 cyber security breaches, including unauthorised access of accounts and machines, at universities including the University of Warwick, the University of Oxford and UCL in 2016-17, figures acquired by the Times show.

Some universities saw cyber security breaches double in the last two years.

Experts have warned that research gathered at great expense over years could be stolen by hackers and passed on to unscrupulous governments.

Carsten Maple, director of cyber security research at Warwick and chairman of Britain’s council of professors and heads of computing, told the newspaper: “Universities drive forward a lot of the research and development in the UK.

“Intellectual property takes years of know-how and costs a lot. If someone can get that very quickly, that’s good for them.

“Certainly somebody might attack a university and then provide that information to a nation state.”

Prof Maple said attacks were advancing in nature to target institutions’ infrastructure, such as heating and ventilation which are now often connected to the internet.

“That’s especially worrying for places like the health service,” he said.

In May, large parts of the NHS were crippled by a cyber attack that saw computers hijacked and held for ransom by malicious software.

A spokesperson for the University of Warwick said: “It is no surprise that some of the UK’s leading research institutions, including Warwick, would be on such a list, not because of their research data, but simply because they will have high numbers of highly connected researchers, teachers and students working on a global basis.

“Accordingly, the University has in place long established and extensive cyber security measures that are reviewed continuously and updated as required.”