The University of Cambridge, UK, has launched an investigation after a pro-Assange group claimed to have hacked into its computer systems.

One of the UK's most prestigious universities, the University of Cambridge has apparently fallen prey to hacker group NullCrew, which says it supports Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The hacktivists have been linked with the Anonymous movement.

The group claims to have targeted the university over the weekend, publishing usernames and passwords of some of the institution's email accounts on Pastebin.

A message from the group which accompanied the release said:

"There is much more where this came from, and don’t think this is the end. NullCrew, along with the whole Anonymous movement isn't near finished with you. And we never will be, until the right thing is done with Julian Assange. Next time it will be worse, we guarantee it."

Through the use of an SQL injection -- which accessed the back-end of the email database system -- the group posted information including seventeen CRSIDs of academics within the Center for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, as well as administrator login details.

A press statement released by the University of Cambridge said:

"A group calling itself 'NullCrew' claims to have obtained login details for some web based resources hosted on University systems. As a preventative measure these have been taken offline while IT staff investigate the claims. The hacking group itself has not claimed to have compromised the email login details of members of the University, and there is no evidence to substantiate such a suggestion."

This isn't the first university NullCrew has targeted, releasing 1200 email account details from Yale University last month.

Assange is currently facing extradition to Sweden. In order to avoid -- or simply delay -- deportation, he is currently taking shelter at the Ecuadorean embassy in Knightsbridge, London.