A cyber security incident has been revealed by the University of Manchester after detecting unauthorised activity on its network.
The university has launched an investigation and is working with in-house experts and external support to resolve the incident and to establish what data may have been affected.
It is also working with the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner's Office, the National Cyber Security Centre, and other regulatory bodies.
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In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, the university said that a further update will be provided "as and when appropriate".
Patrick Hackett, registrar, secretary and chief operating officer at the university, said: "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.
"Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident. We are working to understand what data have been accessed and will update you as more information becomes available.
"As you would expect, we are also working with the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency and other regulatory bodies.
"We know this will cause concern to members of our community and we are very sorry for this.
"Our priority is to resolve this issue and provide information to those affected as soon as we are able to, and we are focusing all available resources.
"You should be vigilant to any suspicious phishing emails."
The university has also confirmed that it does not believe the cybercriminal activity it has suffered is the work of the same or associated perpetrators of the hacks at MoveIT and Zellis.
Earlier this week, a number of global companies including British Airways and Boots warned their staff about a cyber attack that has compromised personal information. The hack has suspected links to a Russian-speaking cybercrime gang called Clop, according to a report in The Telegraph.
The incident related to a flaw in a piece of software called MOVEit Transfer, used by thousands of companies globally to transfer files, which could be exploited by cyber criminals.
The UK’s leading payroll provider Zellis said that eight of its customers were impacted by the "global issue", which may have exposed personal information, including names, addresses, and banking details.
A university spokesperson said: "At this time and with a high degree of confidence, we have no indicators to believe that the cybercriminal activity suffered by The University of Manchester is the work of the same or associated perpetrators of the hacks at MoveIT and Zellis. We continue to assess this assessment, working with NCSC, NCA, JISC, external specialist partners."
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