Cambridge University Emails Hacked By Assange Supporters

The University of Cambridge’s email service used by students and academic staff has been hacked, according to NullCrew, a hacktivist group supporting Julian Assange of Wikileaks.

Details of accounts have been posted online but it is not known how many passwords were taken. Administrator login details for the Cambridge University email system and usernames for several senior academic staff were posted online. NullCrew, a group associated with Anonymous, claimed responsibility and said the hit was a continuation of attacks by Anonymous on government targets over efforts to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Cambridge blues

The NullCrew attack used SQL injection to access the back end of the email system, and released administrator login details for several departments including the Fitzwilliam Museum, according to student news site The Tab, which broke the story.

According to the University, “there is no evidence” that user email logins have been compromised, and NullCrew itself is not claiming to have done so.

Some web resources have been taken offline while security is checked.

NullCrew is  little known in the UK, but has been busy, spilling around 1200 email account details from Yale University last month.

A message from NullCrew said  “There is much more where this came from, and don’t think this is the end. NullCrew, along with the whole Anonymous movement isn’t near finished with you. And we never will be, until the right thing is done with Julian Assange. Next time it will be worse, we guarantee it.”

It is not clear what connection they see between Cambridge University and Julian Assange, apart from a visit there in March when the Wikileaks founder was welcomed by  student debating club, the Union Society, but Anonymous attacks have been going off seemingly at random in the last few days, including a hit on Labour MP Peter Hain who opposes Assange’s extradition.

“A group calling itself ‘NullCrew’ claims to have obtained login details for some web based resources hosted on University systems,” said a press statement sent to TechWeekEurope by the University. “As a preventative measure these have been taken offline while IT staff investigate the claims. The hacking group itself has not claimed to have compromised the email login details of members of the University, and there is no evidence to substantiate such a suggestion.”

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