University Hacking Attack Spawns Scam Spam

Hackers cracked a university database, and now scammers are pelting students with phishing schemes. Can you protect yourself against a similar fate?

Hackers Attacked University Database

Several months back, hackers breached Lancaster University’s student database and walked away with valuable information. The infiltrators snatched the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of the 2019-2020 applicants. A “very small” number of enrolled students were also hit.

In response to the unfortunate event, the Information Commissioner’s Office explained that “the University of Lancaster…reported an incident to us, and we will assess the information provided.” The National Cyber Security Centre added that it was “aware of an incident affecting Lancaster University and are supporting law enforcement colleagues with their investigation.”

University Hacks Leads to Phishing Scam Emails

Students affected by the University of Lancaster data breach have reported a massive uptick in the amount of scam spam landing in their inboxes. A lot of the unsolicited correspondences are cloaked like legitimate student loan companies. Things are so bad that the university formally urged everyone associated with the campus to be on alert for “suspicious approaches.”

Simple Ways to Protect Your Personal Data

Universities are regular targets for hackers and social engineering schemes. And while specific laws protect private citizens’ data — like the General Data Protection Rule — the people doing the hacking are so skilled they’re able to evade detection.

The onus is on you to make sure your personal information is as safe as possible.