C2K: New warning to parents over schools cyber attack

The number of schools in Northern Ireland affected by a recent cyber-attack is larger than previously thought.

In a letter issued by the Education Authority (EA) on Thursday, some parents were warned that their child’s personal data may have been accessed.

The EA said the letters were sent to 23 schools, 16 of which had not received previous notifications in relation to potential data breaches.

A spokesperson for the EA said: “We are committed to providing updates to schools who may be affected once new evidence emerges.”

“Forensic investigations into the cyber-attack on the C2k school system are ongoing. This is a complex, detailed and lengthy process,” it continued.

The new letter to parents states that “at the time of the incident, there was no evidence to indicate that your school was involved”, but that following further forensic analysis, “we have established that there is a possibility your child’s personal data may have been accessed during this unlawful cyber incident”.

All online and IT systems in schools in Northern Ireland are provided through the C2K network, which was targeted in the attack.

The attack left all schools and pupils being unable to log into their accounts, meaning pupils could not log in to get work or resources provided by their teachers in the run-up to exam season.