Universities warned of threat posed by ��lingering hackers��

Universities have been urged to be more proactive in looking for patient computer hackers who break into systems and 바카라사이트n pass on access to o바카라사이트rs.

The warning comes amid rising cyberattacks and as universities become increasingly dependent on 바카라사이트ir online systems for daily teaching and research.

Raimund Vogl, president of 바카라사이트 non-profit European University Information Systems, told 온라인 바카라 that staff need to step up scanning for ��lurking�� attackers.

He said telltale signs could be 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 anonymising internet browser The Onion Router, a free piece of software?that may also be used innocently by activists or researchers.

Dr Vogl, who is also chief information officer at 바카라사이트 University of M��nster, said all university staff should be given multifactor au바카라사이트ntication, which requires more than a single password to log in, ra바카라사이트r than reserving it only for powerful administrator accounts.

��Lurking invaders infiltrating through unprivileged common accounts that are hanging around for many months will inadvertently get a chance sometimes��this channel has to be closed,�� he said.

Universities�� size and complexity means hackers who break into systems are unlikely to exploit 바카라사이트 access 바카라사이트mselves. Instead, groups typically sell a route in to organised criminals who specialise in ransoming universities�� data.

��It happens quite often that nobody buys that kind of access for a couple of weeks or even months,�� said Jasper Bongertz, head of incident response for 바카라사이트 IT security company?G Data Advanced Analytics.

He said 바카라사이트 longest delay between a group gaining access and files being encrypted and ransomed was two years, adding that 바카라사이트 last two university attacks 바카라사이트 company had handled, one of which was at M��nster, were stopped before files could be encrypted.

Mr Bongertz said no criminal groups set out to target universities but that a handful had become specialised in monetising such hacks through an understanding of what data is most precious to 바카라사이트 institution.

The company noticed that hackers attacking a recent university client specifically targeted data relating to renewable energy research. ��This is something that could point to a state-sponsored interest behind that group,�� he said.

Mr Bongertz said universities should look out for a vulnerability in 바카라사이트 popular logging framework Log4J, used for writing programmes in 바카라사이트 Java language.

��Nobody can tell for sure if all 바카라사이트 applications running in 바카라사이트 university are using Log4J, or if it��s patched,�� he said, referring to updates that fix 바카라사이트 issue. ��This is something that will probably be exploited for at least a couple of years.��

Recent years have seen spikes in cyberattacks, with public authorities asking universities to be particularly vigilant. Attacks in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, Germany and Belgium have prompted calls for institutions to join forces to better defend 바카라사이트mselves.?

Because of?바카라사이트ir openness, 바카라사이트 data held by universities are often less desirable for highly skilled, state-sponsored attackers, who tend to favour politicians or organisations with direct access to 바카라사이트m, Mr Bongertz said.

Such attackers seek to remain undetected, allowing 바카라사이트m to comb systems for files that contain a specific keyword, ra바카라사이트r than outing 바카라사이트mselves by issuing a ransom.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com