This article was originally published in January 2023, but has been updated with some additional information, following further ransomware attacks on schools in the UK. Highly confidential documents from 14 schools in the UK have been leaked online by hackers.  The Vice Society has been behind a high-profile string of attacks on schools across the UK and the USA in recent months.

This article is one in a series of articles about raising cyber awareness in an organisation.  We visit a number of organisations through our data walks and often discuss the use of USB sticks with staff and are told that they are not allowed.  Yet we will see them in use during the walk.  A verbal/written policy is not the same as prevention and detection.  This article will discuss methods for detection and why.

This article is about cyber insurance in the public sector, particularly in relation to schools.  Cyber insurance is a special type of insurance intended to protect businesses from internet-based risks, and more generally risks relating to information technology infrastructure and activities.  It is also known as cyber liability insurance or cyber risk insurance. 

This article is an article about DDos attacks and is part of a series of articles about different types of cyber attacks. Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks are a type of cyber attack targeting a specific application or website with the goal of exhausting the target system’s resources, which, in turn, renders the target unreachable or inaccessible, denying legitimate users access to the service.

Manchester University was hit by a cyber attack last week, with the possibility that personal data was stolen by the attacker.  A statement was made on their website by Patrick Hackett, Registrar, Secretary and Chief Operating Officer:

"Regrettably, I have to share with you the news that the University is the victim of a cyber incident. It has been confirmed that some of our systems have been accessed by an unauthorised party and data have likely been copied. Our in-house ex

This article is about a recent cyber attack on Leytonstone School.  The school in Waltham Forest has been closed since half term after it was targeted and a significant amount of personal data was accessed.

The school is still closed to all pupils other than those taking their GCSEs because the school currently does not have a single central record (SCR), sometimes referred to as a single central register.  An SCR is a statutory requirement for all schools and academies in E

This article is about firewalls and how they can help in your plan towards being cyber resilient.

What is a firewall?  Think of a firewall as an intruder detection system for your organisation's network.   It is a virtual barrier between your computer or network and the internet. Its role is to keep an eye on all the incoming and outgoing data, like a security guard watching the entrance to your house or office.  The main purpose of a firewall is to protect your co

This article is about cyber attacks and data breaches that may go unreported due to the misconceptions about how organisations might respond to them.  The NCSC recently published an article about why transparency around cyber attacks is a good thing for everyone.
The NCSC and the ICO may work on a cyber attack together if an incident brings down a business, severely impacts national services and infrastructure or massively disrupts people's data-to-day lives, however they consider that

A Dorchester school has recently suffered a cyber attack in the form of a Ransomware attack.
Following the attack the school has been left unable to use email or accept payments.
The school is working with the National Cyber Security Centre and the police to resolve the issue. The full article can be read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-65685607
The school remains open, with teaching adapted as needed and exams continuing as planned.

Comment from the

Malicious threat actors (hackers) are always developing new techniques to breach passwords.  This article lists the different types of password attacks and some defences/counter-measures which can be used to enhance password security.  In our experience, hackers are most successful at accessing school systems unlawfully using these methods.  Passwords continue to be a primary target for cyber criminals seeking unauthorised access to accounts.

Password security is a

Hackers and cyber criminals are continuously searching for vulnerabilities in software and systems to exploit for their own malicious gains.  

What are Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

Zero-day vulnerabilities refer to software flaws or weaknesses that are unknown to the software vendor and, consequently, unpatched at the time of discovery by cyber criminals.  These vulnerabilities are security holes that malicious threat actors (hackers) can exploit to gain unauthorised acces

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is a research study for UK cyber resilience, aligning with the National Cyber Strategy.

The full report is here: Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023

There is a separate annex published for education institutions, the full report is here: Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2023 Education Institutions Annex

In Summary, the percentage of organisations that have identified breaches or attacks in the last 12 months: