MI5 warns UK universities of cyber-attack threat

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://news.techworld.com/security/3441704/mi5-warns-uk-universities-of-cyber-attack-threat/

By John E Dunn
Techworld
11 April 2013

British universities will be issued with overhauled security guidance 
after a warning by MI5 on the risk of foreign-sponsored cyber-attacks, 
it has been reported.

According to The Financial Times, vice chancellors of leading 
universities were reminded by MI5’s outgoing head Sir Jonathan Evans 
that universities are now considered part of the country’s critical 
infrastructure and must take steps to secure research data and 
intellectual property.

It’s not clear what steps university heads have already taken to secure 
sensitive data but Universities UK is said to be in the process of 
creating a security guidance document.

“We are drawing the sector’s attention to these issues,” Professor Eric 
Thomas of Universities UK was quoted by the FT as saying.

[...]

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