Four London schools were hit by a severe cyber attack that resulted in the leak of highly confidential student documents. The hack was carried out by a group known as Vice Society, which has been known to steal data from educational institutions throughout the UK and hold it for ransom. If the ransom is not paid, the group will leak the stolen documents.
One school in Gloucestershire confirmed that the leaked documents from 2022 included sensitive information about students with special educational needs, passport scans of children, staff pay scales, and contract details. The School of Oriental and African Studies in central London also confirmed that it had been hacked in September 2022. Over 18,000 files were leaked to the dark web, including staff contracts and budget details.
In response to the attack, a spokesperson for the School of Oriental and African Studies told the press, “We notified staff and students of the incident, and while we were able to prevent the incident from escalating further, it resulted in a small, limited data breach of files on internal storage. The individuals affected have been contacted, and we are continuing to offer support as required.”
The impact of this cyber attack on the affected schools and their students could be significant. Not only have confidential documents been exposed, but the financial demands made by the hacking group could put a strain on the schools’ resources. It is imperative that all educational institutions take steps to protect themselves against these types of attacks and have appropriate measures in place to mitigate the consequences if an attack does occur.