Thousands of organisations – including universities – have fallen victim to cyber criminals selling fake medication over the internet.

According to security firm Imperva, many higher education facilities using the .ac.uk domain name have fallen victim to the scam, which, according to the firm's Amichai Shulman, has been a "pretty successful campaign".

The cybercriminals have exploited loopholes in the PHP code of university and college websites to sell their fake medication – such as Viagra and Cialis.
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication in Kent fell victim to the scam.

Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson from the college said: "We immediately took action to temporarily close down and remove the compromised area while we resolved the issue.

"Once we discovered the issue we were able to rectify it quickly, and we believe our site is now secure."

A recent study conducted by the University of Otago in New Zealand has highlighted the dangers of purchasing prescription medication over the internet from less-than-reputable sources.