Sunderland Uni faces continued disruption from cyber attack

Sunderland University (@sunderlanduni) is still feeling the effect of a cyber attack it suffered five days ago, with its website down and online learning disrupted. An official update is expected from the university later today.

Oz Alashe, CEO and founder at behavioural security platform CybSafe (@CybSafe), comments:

“Unfortunately we are seeing just how disruptive attacks of this nature can be and the extent to which vital services can be disrupted, with delays to lectures, applications and graduations long after the initial breach. Malicious actors are increasingly identifying educational institutions as soft targets, and even once Sunderland University’s IT systems are back online, the ramifications of this breach will be felt long into the future.

“Given these potential consequences, it’s imperative that pupils and teachers have the knowledge needed to protect themselves and their institutions. This kind of breach is often a result of a phishing attack, which plays on the natural curiosity of pupils who may not be aware of the threat of clicking on a suspicious link or responding to an unusual message. 

“To combat this threat, institutions need to ensure both pupils and teachers are aware of potential cyber threats, and also have access to appropriate tools to report and react accordingly when they do occur.”