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No evidence data leaked in cyber attack on schools, EA says

News imageGetty Images The picture shows two male school pupils visible from the neck down wearing black blazers and working on computers. The keyvoards and mice are black while the monitors are LCD style.Getty Images
The attack on the C2K network left schools and pupils unable to log into their accounts

There is no evidence that teachers' or students' data was compromised after a cyber attack on Thursday the Education Authority (EA) has said.

The attack on the C2K network shut down the IT system used by the majority of primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland and left schools and pupils unable to log into their accounts, meaning pupils could not get work or resources provided by their teachers in the run up to exam season.

The network is managed by the EA.

Eve Bremner from the EA said 80% of post-primary schools were back online.

"It was caught early, we've been advised it was contained, we've moved into that recovery phase now," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"The other thing I think it's important to say is that while it is a live incident, our advice is telling us at the moment that there has been no evidence of data corruption or data leaving the system."

Ms Bremner thanked EA staff who had worked "around the clock" to help get schools' systems up and running again.

"We're extremely thankful to them and to our schools for working with us over the weekend," she said.

News imageEducation Authority Eve Bremner has shoulder-length blond hair and is smilings into the camera. She is wearing a purple dress and is standing in front of a grey backdrop. Education Authority
Eve Bremner said the cyber attack was caught early

Focus on post-primary schools

She said the EA had been focusing on getting post-primary schools back online because of the importance of the IT network to students who have exams coming up.

"That hasn't excluded us working with primary schools, we've over 100 primary schools that have also been able to work with us," she said.

The EA will hold a virtual meeting for school principals this morning.

The webinar will outline the steps schools must take so pupils and staff can get their C2K accounts back online as safely and soon as possible.

'Critical security measure'

Schools received a message on Thursday that as part of "work to manage an IT security issue" the EA would be carrying out a password reset for all users.

The EA said "immediate steps" were taken to contain the issue and a full investigation was under way.

Following the attack, the EA said a full password reset was carried out across the school network as a "critical security measure".

The education body is also engaging with the Information Commissioner's Office and relevant authorities as part of its response.