Cyber-attacks on UK schools have increased in the last year
The cyber-attacks have disrupted many aspects of students’ school life. The disruption includes cancelled lessons and long lunchtime queues.
According to a BBC report, “New figures from the Information Commissioner’s Office, external (ICO) show 347 cyber incidents were reported in the education and childcare sector in 2023 – an increase of 55% on 2022.”
Government data suggests “most schools and colleges have identified a cyber-security breach in the past year.”
You can read the full BBC report here
How were the hacks detected?
Brockington College, based in Leicester, first noticed the breach of its systems when computer cursors started “moving remotely across their screen, with files already open on the computers, when they first logged on at the start of the school day.”
Embrace Multi-Academy Trust (who manages Brockington College), CEO Sharon Mullins said: “The whole thing feels very sinister.”
When the attack was discovered, all nine schools at the trust were ordered to take all their systems down.
“You’re basically telling every teacher across the trust that whatever they had planned that day, they can no longer teach with immediate effect.”
What has been the Government’s response?
A DfE spokesperson said the government was increasing school funding to “the highest level ever in real terms per pupil, to support school leaders to meet their costs”. An ICO spokesperson said their data suggests that cyber threats are increasing year on year but said they had “a wealth of free advice and resources” available to support schools with keeping their systems secure.
The unseen side of the internet Most business leaders are familiar with the internet they use every day: websites, emails, social platforms, and cloud
The IT Gap: When “Good Enough” Isn’t Enough Many small and medium-sized businesses rely on traditional IT support to keep things running. It’s a
4th Platform Partners with WatchGuard to Deliver FireCloud: Stronger Security, Less Effort Protect every worker, everywhere 4th Platform has partnered with WatchGuard to bring
The recent cloud outage at AWS, which caused downtime, data unavailability and shaken confidence, is a timely wake-up call for organisations of every size.
In 2025, sustainability is more than a buzzword, for UK organisations, it’s becoming integral to brand reputation, regulation, and cost control. And one of
In just 15 days, Microsoft will begin its formal switch to Windows 11 for eligible devices. Whether you’re managing a team of employees, running
The UK’s traditional phone network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN Switch-Off), is being retired. By January 2027, it will be permanently switched off.
Ransomware remains the UK’s most serious cyber threat. In July 2025, the Home Office set out proposals to ban ransom payments for public-sector bodies
The UK’s data protection rules are changing again Post-Brexit. With the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA) now law, businesses face new obligations
Why Now? Windows 10 is approaching End of Life Microsoft will retire Windows 10 on 14 October 2025, ending free security and feature updates. The
