Oxford University careers platform hit by third-party data breach
The University of Oxford said its CareerConnect careers platform, managed by third-party provider Group GTI, was compromised in a security breach.
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- Oxford's CareerConnect platform was affected by a breach at third-party provider GTI.
- Users' names, email addresses and, for some users, encrypted passwords, were exposed.
- There is no evidence that Oxford's own systems, financial information, course data, uploaded files or appointment information were compromised.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The University of Oxford said its CareerConnect careers platform, managed by third-party provider Group GTI, was compromised in a security breach.
In a notice shared by Oxford University’s Careers Service, the institution said that cybercriminals accessed users’ first names, last names, and e-mail addresses. They were also able to access encrypted passwords for those who do not sign in using Single Sign-On (SSO).
This means that users who use SSO only had their names and e-mail addresses compromised in the breach.
Oxford did not specify how many CareerConnect users were affected, but said that “alumni, research staff and employer users” would be required to reset their passwords when they next sign in.
The University added that there is no evidence that course information, uploaded files, appointment information, or financial information were affected. GTI said that the breach appeared to be aimed at harvesting credentials, potentially for future phishing attacks.
GTI has since patched the vulnerability and implemented additional security measures, according to Oxford.
The University reiterated that the incident relates to a third-party system, adding that there is no evidence of a compromise to its own systems.
“The main precaution at this stage is to remain alert to phishing or scam emails and to ensure devices used for work or study are appropriately protected,” the notice says.
Affected users will be contacted in case there is any further action necessary, but for now, Oxford said that the CareerConnect platform “has now been secured” and that there is “no immediate action needed”.
Users are advised to stay alert to any suspicious emails or messages, verify requests for personal or financial information, and remember that the University will never ask for a password by email or message.
The breach is unrelated to the security incident involving Canvas earlier this month, when Oxford temporarily disabled access to its Canvas platform after a global breach affected its service provider, Instructure. The company confirmed that the affected data includes names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and user messages.
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