Cyber-attackers take 607,000 records from Department of Education
Hackers accessed 607,000 records from the UK Department for Education, including email addresses and phone numbers. The department stated that no sensitive financial data was compromised and the breach has been contained.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the increasing vulnerability of public sector institutions to cyber-attacks and the ongoing challenge of protecting citizen data.
Image source, Getty Images By Vanessa Clarke Senior education reporter Published 5 minutes ago Hackers have obtained about 607,000 records in a cyber-attack on the Department for Education (DfE) in England.
The data taken includes telephone numbers and email addresses relating to individuals and organisations but does not include bank details or other sensitive information.
The DfE confirmed the incident and said it is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The department says the risk considered to individuals is not considered high and it is understood the attack was contained quickly.
The Turing Scheme portal - a programme providing funding for international education - and the DfE online help desk have both been affected, but are expected to be operating normally later this week.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in