Oxford University confirmed on Thursday it had detected and isolated an incident at the Division of Structural Biology (known as “Strubi”) after Forbes disclosed that hackers were showing off access to a number of systems. These included machines used to prepare biochemical samples, though the university said it couldn’t comment further on the scale of the breach. It has contacted the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), a branch of the British intelligence agency GCHQ, which will now investigate the attack.
<p>Universities are home to some of the world’s most cutting-edge research, making them an attractive target. Unfortunately, these advanced research projects are often vulnerable because they are connected to the wider university network. While it is unclear how Oxford University was hacked in this instance, all organisations should ensure they adopt basic cyber hygiene measures like keeping software up to date and having secure passwords, as this can go a long way in preventing the majority of breaches.</p>