Hackers Email U of Manchester Students Threatening to Leak Data Stolen in June 6 Attack

The hackers responsible for the breach of the University of Manchester are pressuring the school to pay ransom by emailing students to warn them that their data will soon be leaked.

Earlier this month, the University of Manchester issued a breach notice to inform members of the community that hackers had accessed its systems and likely copied data.

At the time, it wasn’t clear who the attackers were or whether it was a ransomware operation. While the attackers remain unknown, it’s now confirmed that it was indeed a ransomware attack.

As reported by BleepingComputer, the attackers this week have started emailing students, saying:

"We would like to inform all students, lecturers, administration, and staff that we have successfully hacked manchester.ac.uk network on June 6 2023.”

"We have stolen 7TB of data, including confidential personal information from students and staff, research data, medical data, police reports, drug test results, databases, HR documents, finance documents, and more.”

The hackers say the school’s administration is “fully aware of the situation” and that they were in contact with them.

“They, however, value money above the privacy and security of their students and employees,” the email continues. “They do not care about you or that ALL your personal information and research work will soon be sold and/or made public!”

The attackers go so far as to name some of the professors, calling them “responsible for the situation.”

The email ends with “this is our last warning,” suggesting that the attackers still hope for ransom.

The University of Manchester has set up an FAQ, telling everyone concerned to watch out for suspicious communications, such as phishing attempts.

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