The University of Manchester impacted by cyber security data breach

The University of Manchester is currently addressing a cyber security incident after discovering unauthorized activity on its network.

The university has initiated an investigation, collaborating with internal and external experts to resolve the incident and determine the potential impact on data. It is also cooperating with relevant authorities such as the Information Commissioner's Office, the National Cyber Security Centre, and other regulatory bodies.

The university didn't provide any further details although has pledged to provide updates as appropriate. Individuals are advised to remain vigilant against suspicious phishing emails.

UPDATE - On 12th of June,  the University issued the following comfirmation: "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."

On 29th of June it was reported that the breached data includes records of approximately 1.1 million National Health Service (NHS) patients, specifically trauma patients and victims of terrorism, which were collected by the university for research purposes. Additionally, student and alumni data, including names, contacts, addresses, university IDs, and demographic information, were affected

The incident follows similar cyber attacks on global companies, which were impacted by the vulnerability in the Managed File Transfer product MOVEit which was used by UK payroll service Zellis. The University of Manchester is a customer of Zellis but at the time of the MOVEit/Zellis breach said it had not been affected by that cyber attack.