Records Stolen from Bristol Primary School in Cyberattack

Summary

Bristol City Council says attackers exported records from Southville Primary School’s management system. The school notified affected families and regulators; officials are investigating the breach and a possible, unconfirmed link to an earlier schools-network attack.

Key points

• Bristol City Council said records were exported from Southville Primary School’s management information system.
• The types of records and number of affected students, parents, or staff have not been disclosed.
• The school contacted affected parents and guardians, and the breach was reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
• The council is investigating with cybersecurity specialists and the Regional Organised Crime Unit.
• Officials have not confirmed whether the same criminals carried out an earlier attack on Bristol’s Schools IT network.
• In the earlier incident, malicious software was found on some school devices; internet access was disconnected at 88 schools to contain the threat.
• As of Wednesday evening, 84 schools had limited internet access restored; security checks continued at the remaining four.