Universities Warn of Research Data Theft Linked to State-Sponsored Hackers

Several major universities in North America and Europe quietly disclosed this week that advanced threat actors had attempted to infiltrate research networks focused on biotechnology, AI, and advanced materials. In many cases, attackers used carefully crafted spear-phishing emails impersonating grant agencies or conference organizers, luring academics into opening malicious attachments or submitting credentials to cloned portals. While some intrusions were stopped at early stages, digital forensics teams confirmed that limited amounts of intellectual property and internal project documents had been accessed. Funding bodies and research councils responded by reiterating cyber-awareness requirements in grant conditions and encouraging institutions to classify and segment sensitive research environments more rigorously. The incidents highlight that in the race for scientific leadership, cyber espionage is often as important as traditional competition.

28-11-2025