Confidential papers from 14 schools online are confirmed to have been leaked by hackers. The records include information about children’s SEN (special education needs), scans of children’s passports, staff pay scales, and details of staff contracts, all obtained in 2021 and 2022. The FBI in America has already issued a warning over the group’s activities. Hackers stole detailed papers from one of the schools by utilizing general search terms to find the information. A folder labeled “contract” contains contractual offers given to staff along with teaching materials on muscle contractions, while another marked “passports” has passport scans for students and parents on school trips dating back to 2011. Documents on the headmaster’s salary and the beneficiaries of student bursaries are located in a separate folder labeled “confidential.” According to a school spokesperson, the school takes the security of its systems and data very seriously. “We have successfully restored key systems, minimized the disruption to staff and students, and continue to keep the relevant authorities informed of any new developments.”

In recent months, the suspected hacking group has been implicated in a high-profile series of attacks on schools in the UK and the USA. It is said to have stolen 500 terabytes of data from a Los Angeles school system. If payment is not made, the hacking group will demand money before releasing the materials that were taken. The school’s hack is estimated to have occurred on September 28, when the school emailed parents to report that its phone and IT systems were down. A second email from the headteacher on October 7 stated that “an unauthorized third party” had accessed the school’s computers.