Breaking News: Cyber-Attack on Department for Education
Hackers have obtained approximately 607,000 records in a cyber-attack on the Department for Education (DfE) in England. The stolen data includes telephone numbers and email addresses, but does not involve bank details or other sensitive information.
The DfE has confirmed the incident and is working with the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency (NCA). The risk to individuals is not considered high, and the attack was contained quickly.
The Turing Scheme portal, which funds international education, and the DfE online help desk have been affected but are expected to resume normal operations later this week. The DfE has referred the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
A DfE spokesperson stated, “We have robust processes in place to protect information and took swift action to contain this incident.” They emphasized that the affected records pertain only to customer service contact details.
The NCA is also investigating the situation. Cyber incidents in the education sector are increasing, with about 24% of further education institutions reporting breaches or attacks at least weekly. More than half of schools have experienced an attack or breach in the last year.
