Dublin university students targeted in cyber attack

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner was alerted by management at Dublin City University

Sam Griffin

August 01 2014 11:47 PM

STUDENTS in one of the country's largest universities have been warned to change their passwords after a user's login details were compromised in a 'cyber attack'.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner was alerted by management at Dublin City University (DCU) last month following the incident in the college's School of Communications.

DCU has declined to say how many users were instructed to change their details but it is understood emails were sent to current students as well as to former students and graduates, advising them to change login details.

Evidence

Around 1,000 students may have been affected. It is not believed that staff emails were affected.

A spokesperson for the university said authorities were happy there was no evidence that any user's personal information had been accessed.

The email, sent to students and graduates on July 15, stated: "The School of Communications believe that, as a result of a recent cyber attack targeting the School of Communications server . . . some user names and passwords used by students to access this server may have been compromised.

"After an extensive forensic examination of the server, we have no evidence that the user names and passwords have actually been compromised but are taking the precautionary step of notifying you of the risk that this may have happened."