Education network in Scotland under persistent phishing threats, as third cyber attack disrupts exams for students
Rewritten Article:
Scotland's schools have been hit with a series of cyber attacks this year, as another attempted infiltration of the country's education network forced pupils into exam chaos. Over three thousand kids from Edinburgh schools had their revision thrown off track when the local council was compelled to lock them out of their online learning materials.
The drastic move came after staff detected suspicious activity on their schools and early years IT network. Many students, including those currently sitting exams, had to physically go to their schools to regain access to the materials.
Edinburgh's incident occurred just days after schools in West Lothian were targeted in a suspected ransomware attack. This incident followed a security breach at the country's exam body a few weeks prior.
Cybersecurity expert David Arnold, a director at Dumfries-based David Allen IT Solutions, explained that schools make prime targets for hackers due to the huge amounts of personal information they possess. He commented, "Schools are a gold mine for hackers; they can sell the stolen data or cause massive disruption."
According to Arnold, many public bodies have invested enormous sums in security measures for their systems, but the sheer number of people with access means that hackers only need to trick one person to bypass many defense systems.
Following the attempted attack, Edinburgh City Council confirmed that no data had been compromised as a result. Councilor James Dalgleish, responsible for Education, Children, and Families, stated: "We've informed all parents, guardians, and schools about the situation. I understand the impact on those students preparing for their exams, but we unfortunately had no other option. It was a difficult but necessary decision to ensure our networks remain secure and protected."
While Edinburgh made additional study support materials available, schools also uploaded resources to their websites to facilitate access. Exams began on April 25th and go until May's end.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton commented on the situation, stating, "Previous cyberattacks on SEPA and NHS Dumfries & Galloway have shown these incidents can be complex and costly. The impact is often not fully understood for quite some time. The Scottish Government must ensure local authorities, health boards, and public bodies have the support they need to strengthen their digital infrastructure."
In a similar incident earlier this week, West Lothian Council activated contingency measures to maintain school operation after its education network was subjected to a ransomware attack. There was no evidence to suggest any personal or sensitive data had been accessed in this case either.
Additional Insights:
Schools across Scotland have been increasingly targeted by cybercriminals due to the wealth of personal data they hold, leading to potential data breaches and significant disruptions in education services. To address these growing threats, authorities in the UK have been making investments in further securing digital infrastructure, with the Department for Education investing £6 million in cybersecurity specialists to bolster cybersecurity measures.
- Department for Education invests in cybersecurity: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/department-for-education-cyber-security-deal-to-protect-schools
- Edinburgh council responds to cyberattack: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/education/edinburgh-pupils-left-in-exam-limbo-as-schools-hit-by-cyber-attack-3575514
- West Lothian schools targeted: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/west-lothian-schools-forced-contingency-14620450
- Edinburgh schools reset passwords in school: https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-schools-pupils-reset-passwords-7956323
- The Department for Education has invested £6 million to bolster cybersecurity measures in schools, recognizing the increasing threat of cyber attacks due to the wealth of personal data held by educational institutions. (news, technology, cybersecurity, general-news)
- Despite the cyber attack on Edinburgh schools disrupting exam preparations for over three thousand students, no data was compromised, according to the council's confirmation. (news, technology, health, crime-and-justice)
- West Lothian schools also experienced a ransomware attack this week, activating contingency measures to maintain operations, with no evidence of personal or sensitive data being accessed. (news, technology, crime-and-justice)
