Hackers have conducted a significant cyber attack on the Department for Education (DfE), resulting in the theft of over 600,000 pieces of data. The breach, which occurred last week, compromised 607,000 records containing information such as names, job titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses of government officials, school leaders, and university staff.
Although the figure of 607,000 records does not directly correlate to the number of impacted individuals, the DfE assured that the breach was swiftly contained, and the risk to individual data protection is deemed low.
The attack targeted the Turing Scheme portal, a program that supports international education funding, and the department’s online help desk. In response, the DfE has temporarily shifted to telephone communications while efforts are made to address the security issues.
Collaborating with the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency, the DfE has reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office. The breach has been attributed to a group known as ExfilSquad, as reported by The Times.
A spokesperson from the DfE stated that the breached information pertains mainly to customer service contact details related to individuals and organizations, with no access to other data. The department continues to work closely with cybersecurity authorities to address the situation.
In response to the reports, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, expressed concerns and emphasized the importance of prompt clarification regarding the accessed information to reassure affected parties and prevent potential repercussions from cyber leaks.
