Female students are being targeted by computer hackers in increasing numbers, according to a new study.

The findings, released by Zhang Yongli, an associate professor, and deputy director of the Institute of Crisis Management at China University of Political Science and Law, showed 10 cases of serious breaches in privacy that have been recorded since 2006, some involving sexually explicit photos being circulated on the Web.

The research looked at 39 cases of campus cyber attacks recorded in recent years. The 29 other cases involved cyber attacks on college databases.