MI5 warns universities on cyber spying UK security services have warned universities to be more vigilant in protecting themselves against cyber attacks by foreign powers seeking to poach intellectual property in science and technology developments. Vice-chancellors have been briefed by Sir Jonathan Evans, the outgoing head of MI5, while Universities UK, which represents the sector, is preparing to issue institutions guidance about how to ward off the cyber threat. Security chiefs have believed for some time that state-sponsored attacks by countries such as China and Russia, often aimed at acquiring industrial and commercial secrets from British companies, are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Cyber crime is estimated to cost the UK about £27bn a year, according to the Cabinet Office. But universities, as critical parts of UK national infrastructure, have now been identified as clear targets, given that their computers hold information on the latest world-leading research. Eric Thomas, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol, said academic institutions were at risk because they possessed intellectual property "that many people would give their right arms for." "We are drawing the sector's attention to these issues," said Professor Thomas. "We are saying, "You have to understand that you will be subject to purposeful attacks to get your data." Universities need to be on high alert. One project considered to be a target for cyber espionage is the University of Manchester's development of the "miracle material" graphene, a discovery that won the Nobel Prize for Physics three years ago. Prof Thomas also points to Bristol university's centre for quantum computing, which is leading the field in efforts to build a computer that can far surpass the speed and capability of current electrical-based processors. "Quantum photonics - that is a precious, precious asset to the University of Bristol and it would be to other people as well," he said. It's not just protecting Britain's national infrastructure - it's the economics of the future. The threat against universities is two-fold: the hacking of their computer systems in Britain, and the theft of data from academics" computers when they travel abroad. The Financial Times has learnt that one senior academic from a UK university had the contents of his laptop copied during an overseas delegation visit. He discovered the attack when he returned unexpectedly early to his hotel room to see his computer's cursor moving independently and swaths of files being downloaded. The University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit had thousands of emails hacked from its servers weeks before the 2009 Copenhagen summit on climate change, in an attempt to undermine academic research on the subject. The problem for universities, according to Prof Thomas, is that the need to increase security cuts across the tendency of academics to be transparent and forthcoming about their research. "Academics are quite trusting people and sharing data is absolutely part of their DNA," he said. There's some tension here between being an open organisation and showing colleagues what you are doing and being more closed. Given this cultural conflict, sector leaders are realistic that a generic cyber clampdown is unlikely to work. The priority is to identify the most important data and intellectual property assets in an institution and ensure these are protected. Some universities are understood to be setting up secure network enclaves that enclose valuable information within additional network and physical security controls. Universities UK will hold a conference this year on cyber security. Meanwhile, academic institutions are themselves at the forefront of the global fight against cyber attacks. William Hague, the foreign secretary, announced this week that he was establishing a centre for cyber security based at the Oxford Martin School. He said the research institution, which is to receive £500,000 funding a year, would "co-ordinate global work on cyber threats and cyber policies" to help protect UK security. Potential targets Graphene: scientists at Manchester university won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for their work developing graphene. The "miracle material" is 200 times stronger than steel and 10 times more conductive than copper, but only one atom thick. First developed in 2004, graphene is set to revolutionise electronics, given its potential for producing ultra-thin screens and bendable smartphones. It also has a wide range of possible applications in areas such as aerospace and medicine. Aerospace engineering: government and industry recently announced a joint £2bn investment aimed at creating a UK Aerospace Technology Institute, a research facility intended to protect Britain's primacy in aerospace engineering and outflank competitors in China and Russia. The cash will fund academic development into the next generation of quieter, more energy-efficient aircraft through the development of advanced engines and lightweight carbon composites. Quantum computing: Bristol university's Centre for Quantum Photonics is leading the drive to build a quantum computer that would be able to solve complex problems that take too long even for today's transistor-based supercomputers. Potential applications include complicated financial risk analysis, giant database searches and the design of new drugs. The team has already built a quantum chip that works by manipulating particles of light, called photons, to perform calculations.