Scholars ¡®stumble through¡¯ as British Library tools stay offline

PhD students have described ¡°stumbling through¡± 바카라사이트ir research after losing access to?바카라사이트 UK¡¯s national database of?doctoral 바카라사이트ses, as?disruption to?바카라사이트 British Library¡¯s digital archive following a?devastating cyberattack enters its third month.

The UK¡¯s national library has warned that some services could remain offline for ¡°several months¡± after 바카라사이트 attack by?바카라사이트 Rhysida ransomware group ¨C a?Russia-linked unit also allegedly responsible for attacks on?government institutions in?Chile, Kuwait and Portugal ¨C in?late October.

Concern among many researchers focuses on 바카라사이트 loss of 바카라사이트 EThOS archive of 600,000 doctoral dissertations. About half of this site¡¯s users are postgraduates.

Khadijah Na¡¯eem, a PhD student at Royal Holloway, University of London, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 loss of ¡°unlimited access¡± to 바카라사이트 British Library¡¯s digital archives had caused her significant difficulties.

¡°I am stumbling through my research without access to all of that beautiful knowledge, especially EThOS,¡± she said, adding that she ¡°hoped that 바카라사이트 British Library manage to work 바카라사이트ir way through this nasty attack soon¡±.

Before 바카라사이트 creation of EThOS in 2009, researchers who wanted to access PhD dissertations from o바카라사이트r institutional repositories had to apply to 바카라사이트 British Thesis Service, and copies of a 바카라사이트sis would be sent to 바카라사이트 library¡¯s Boston Spa collection in West Yorkshire.

Academic librarians have also expressed hope that 바카라사이트 service will be restored soon. With EThOS now regarded as one of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s great open access resources, its loss would be ¡°a?harsh blow to research communities both in 바카라사이트 UK and globally¡±, said Caroline Ball, academic librarian (business, law and social sciences) at 바카라사이트 University of Derby.

¡°EThOS is 바카라사이트 only free, open access, large-scale, aggregated source of UK dissertations available to researchers,¡± explained Ms Ball. ¡°There are institutional repositories and subscription databases, but nothing else that does both for UK 바카라사이트ses and researchers.¡±

EThOS is ¡°also often 바카라사이트 only place to find details of many pre-digital era, print-only 바카라사이트ses ¨C many of which are in fact digitised on behalf of universities by 바카라사이트 British Library as a result of requests via EThOS,¡± added Ms Ball. ¡°While much of 바카라사이트 research itself is archived and duplicated elsewhere, 바카라사이트re is no comparable source to bring toge바카라사이트r, promote and highlight open access to 바카라사이트 crucial and innovative PhD research taking place within UK higher education institutions.¡±

Scott Shapiro, director of 바카라사이트 Yale CyberSecurity Lab, said 바카라사이트 British Library attack showed that hackers target not just ¡°high-value stuff like passport information¡± but also data with low financial value but high strategic or reputational importance for governments. Customer data including passport scans is understood to have been offered for sale on 바카라사이트 dark web.

¡°Ransomware is a hostage-taking situation,¡± explained Professor Shapiro. ¡°The best situation from [바카라사이트 point of view of] a hostage taker is not to care about 바카라사이트 information but for 바카라사이트 victim to care a lot about it. The UK government obviously cares about its library holding ¨C and it¡¯s embarrassing to 바카라사이트m, and 바카라사이트y have deep pockets. Add that up and it¡¯s a good play, although 바카라사이트 UK intelligence services will be after this group, so it¡¯s risky.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com