Northern Ireland

Queen's University suspends systems after attempted cyber attack

Queen's said cyber attacks against large organisations were not uncommon
Queen's said cyber attacks against large organisations were not uncommon Queen's said cyber attacks against large organisations were not uncommon

QUEEN'S University Belfast has suspended access to several of its systems after an attempted cyber attack.

The incident also affected the Belfast health trust.

The university said there was no evidence that any data had been stolen and it was continuing investigations.

"Unfortunately, these kind of attacks against large organisations are not uncommon," a spokeswoman said.

"The university has in place robust security measures which mitigated the immediate operational impact and there is currently no evidence of any exfiltration of data. The university applied a range of precautionary measures, including the suspension of access, and these were lifted where possible after relevant investigations were complete."

She added that other organisations had applied their own precautionary measures.

Belfast trust urged all its staff with an affiliation to Queen's to change their passwords. This includes academics and medical students.

"Queen's takes seriously its responsibility to protect its systems and data and seeks to follow best practice in this area," the spokeswoman added.

"Students, staff and partners should be confident that the university will continue to work with relevant partners and authorities to complete the required investigations and apply necessary measures to protect against any future risks."