The University of Manchester announced on Friday it has been the victim of a “cyber incident” and that “data have likely been copied.”

Patrick Hackett, University of Manchester Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, wrote on the university’s website: “Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident.

“It has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied.

“Our in-house experts and established expert external support are working around the clock to resolve this incident.

“We are working to understand what data have been accessed and will update you as more information becomes available.

“As you would expect, we are also working with the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the National Crime Agency and other regulatory bodies.

“We know this will cause concern to members of our community and we are very sorry for this.

“Our priority is to resolve this issue and provide information to those affected as soon as we are able to, and we are focusing all available resources.

“You should be vigilant to any suspicious phishing emails …

“We have published a set of Frequently Asked Questions about the incident, and will continue to provide updates when we have further information to share.”