Understand
Bristol City Council took four days to identify and shut down a cyber attack affecting 87 schools
Overview
Bristol City Council took four days to identify and shut down a cyber attack on its Trading with Schools platform, which is used by 87 schools for administrative operations. Suspicious activity was first noticed on 21 September, but the system was not disconnected until 25 September. The South West Regional Economic and Cyber Crime unit is investigating the incident, though council leader Tony Dyer stated that current analysis has found no evidence of data theft so far.
Key points
- Bristol City Council took four days to identify and shut down a cyber attack on its Trading with Schools service.
- Suspicious activity was noticed on 21 September, but the system was only shut down on 25 September.
- The cyber attack has affected 87 schools that use the platform for operations like budgeting, payroll, and sensitive pupil files.
- The South West Regional Economic and Cyber Crime unit has confirmed it is investigating the hack.
- Council leader Tony Dyer stated that current analysis has not identified any evidence that data has been stolen.