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More than a dozen schools in the UK have suffered a cyberattack which has led to highly confidential documents being leaked online by cybercriminals. That’s according to a report from the BBC which claimed that children’s SEN information, child passport scans, staff pay scales and contract details have been stolen by notorious cybercrime group Vice Society, known for disproportionately targeting the education sector with ransomware attacks in the UK and other countries.
Passport, contract data stolen and posted on dark web
Pates Grammar School in Gloucestershire is one of 14 to have been impacted by the data breach, the BBC reported, with Vice Society hackers using generic search terms to steal documents. “One folder marked ‘passports’ contains passport scans for pupils and parents on school trips going back to 2011, whereas another marked ‘contract’ contains contractual offers made to staff alongside teaching documents on muscle contractions. Another folder marked ‘confidential’ contains documents on the headmaster’s pay and student bursary fund recipients,” the BBC wrote. The hack at Pates is estimated to have taken place on September 28 before data was published on the dark web. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Gloucestershire Police confirmed they were investigating the alleged breaches in 2022.
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