University and college cyberattacks

The National Cyber Security Centre has issued an alert to education institutions over fears of increased cyber-attacks. It is predicted there will be more university and college cyberattacks this teaching year, which could be particularly harmful to students who are having to learn online this semester due to the coronavirus pandemic.

University and college cybercrimes often include a lot of ‘ransomware’ incidents where highly sensitive data is held and a ransom is demanded for payment to be issued for data to be decrypted or destroyed. Malicious software can be used to lock people out of their computer systems and cause whole organisations to grind to a halt.

As a leading, specialist data breach compensation law firm, we have years of experience in this field and we often help victims of a cyberattacks claim the compensation that they deserve. Where personal data is exposed, we can fight for the justice that victims are entitled to by law, and deserve as a victim of a breach event.

Recent university and college cyberattacks

University and college cybercrime is nothing new. However, the number of attacks on these institutions has been growing in recent times, which is a trend that we are not surprised to see.

Newcastle University and the University of Northumbria were both targeted in September by cyberattacks, as well as groups of further education colleges in Yorkshire and a higher education college in Lancashire a month before.

These attacks follow a summer of university and college cyberattacks where dozens of institutions were targeted across the UK, US and Canada in the major Blackbaud cyberattack. We represent Claimants for the Blackbaud data breach on a No Win, No Fee basis, with this action being one of the dozens we have launched.

Why education institutions are targeted

Universities hold a huge amount of personal and sensitive information about both students and staff, which is why they are commonly targeted. They also hold important research data and information which can be attractive to foreign threat actors as well.

It is reported that universities are targeted up to a thousand times a year, with that number expected to grow in the midst of many of us now working and learning from home.

The information universities hold can be commercially and politically sensitive, as well as personally sensitive for the victims. Cybercriminals target these institutions to obtain this highly sensitive data because they know it can yield a high reward if is held for ransom.

What to do if your data is breached in a cyberattack

If your personal data has been exposed in any way, be it by a cyberattack or a data breach, you could be eligible to claim compensation for the loss of control of your personal information and/or any incurred financial losses.

We are specialists in the data breach compensation field, and we currently represent clients across over 50 multi-party and group action claims. In 2019, we were appointed to the Steering Committee of the British Airways Group Action; the first GDPR Group Litigation Order in England and Wales.

We are experts when it comes to data breaches and could help you in your data breach claim. To get in contact with a member of our expert team now, complete a contact form here for free and no-obligation advice.

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