Academic network Janet clobbered with DDoS attacks – again

Funny how it always gets targeted at the end of term...

Blighty's government-funded educational network Janet has once again been hit by a cyber attack, with a fresh wave of DDoS attacks launched against the network this morning.

The issue first began on Friday 15 April, with the body reporting it had been hit by a DDoS attack.

"We are seeing another targeted attack. This may cause issues accessing sites outside of the UK. Blocks are being applied," it said in a status update.

But it said this morning further attacks had been observed since 10am: "Investigations are ongoing," read the status page.

Bournemouth University's IT department tweeted this morning:

Our Network provider Janet is experiencing an DDOS attack this is causing BU network to run slowly IT will continue to monitor the situation

— IT Services (@BUITServices) April 18, 2016

However, the body now reckons "improvements are being seen" in the service.

This is not the first time Janet has been the subject of a major attack. In December the network was hit between the 1 December - 8 December. Since then Jisc said it is permanently removing open public access to Janet.

One user contacted The Register regarding the latest woes to note the second attack also occurring at the end of term.

"This not only puts technical strain on all IT departments in academic institutions but could potentially overwhelm help desks through amplification, as the majority of students choose to do the majority of their work during this short period prior to the deadlines." ®