Universities a ‘top target’ for hackers, expert warns

Charlie McMurdie, a senior IT security adviser, has described how universities are particularly vulnerable to attack by cybercriminals.

In an interview with the UK’s higher education ICT organisation Jisc, McMurdie said that universities were popular targets for hackers as they “aren’t just a place of education”, they are “where most of our cutting edge research happens”.

Discussing how the infrastructure of universities makes them susceptible to attack, McMurdie highlighted the fact that universities have a large number of users wanting access to technology 24/7.