Access to the institution’s vast collection of books and other items has been largely paralyzed for almost three months following its refusal to pay ransom to a group called Rhysida
At the end of October, the British Library suffered a paralysing cyber attack which affected their website and many online services. Sir Roly Keating, the British Library’s Chief Executive, stated that: ‘The people responsible for this cyber attack stand against everything that libraries represent: openness, empowerment, and access to knowledge.’ .
While cyber-attacks on banks, utilities and media platforms may grab the most attention, the hacking of the British Library has led to warnings that academia has become an easy target.