University College computing ( UCL ) has fallen victim to a major ransomware attack after a phishing email activated device which encrypted data on local drives and network shared drives . The attack may have involved a 10 - day delay because the malware bypassed existing security controls , the university 's information services division ( ISD ) said . In response to the attack , the ISD stopped access to N : and ##roid : drives . However , back - up measures should protect most data , including data encrypted by the malware , according to the ISD .
University College London (UCL) has fallen victim to a major ransomware attack after a phishing email activated malware which encrypted files on local drives and network shared drives. The attack may have involved a zero-day vulnerability because the malware bypassed existing security controls, the university's information services division (ISD) said. In response to the attack, the ISD stopped access to N: and S: drives. However, back-up measures should protect most data, including data encrypted by the malware, according to the ISD.