The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued an alert following an increased number of ransomware attacks on UK Universities:
www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/alert-targeted-ransomware-attacks-on-uk-education-sector
It is an unfortunate fact of life that we have to stay vigilant to harmful emails, attachments and links, and we wanted to draw attention to how you can help reduce the risks. Please note that it is not just your details that could be used in ways that are harmful to you, but that these can be used to extort and steal information about other people, as well as to disrupt the operation of classes and the rest of the University's services.
Harmful emails don’t necessarily only come from unknown senders. ‘Phishing’ emails can often appear to come from senders that you know and trust. So please pay close attention to the wording of the email, and any attachments or links embedded within the message. Please notice that all emails that come from outside the University will have the banner below.
We are continuously adding to the strong cyber-protection we have at the University, but we also ask that you play a part in ensuring that we all remain safe.
Do not: Click links or open attachments in emails received from an unknown sender. These emails are designed to install viruses or ransomware on your computer, or steal your University username and password to cause further harm.
Do: Report suspicious emails to prevent further harm to the University. Guidance on how to do this is available on the Help website.
If you believe you may have accessed a harmful attachment or link from an email. Please report this immediately to the SIZ by email help@chi.ac.uk or telephone 01243 816222.
Further information is outlined in the Electronic Information Security Policy which can be found on the Strategy and Policies page.