Hackers have recently carried out a significant cyber attack on the Department for Education (DfE), resulting in the theft of over 600,000 data records. The breach, which occurred last week, exposed information such as names, job titles, phone numbers, and email addresses of government officials, school leaders, and university staff.

Although the number of records taken does not directly equate to the number of affected individuals, the DfE assured that the breach has been contained swiftly, minimizing the data protection risk to those involved.

The attack targeted the Turing Scheme portal, a program that supports international education funding, along with the department’s online help desk. As a precaution, the DfE has temporarily shifted to telephone communications while addressing the security vulnerabilities.

In response to the incident, the DfE has collaborated with the National Cyber Security Centre, the National Crime Agency, and reported the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office for further investigation.

Reports from the dark web suggest that a group named ExfilSquad has claimed responsibility for the breach. The DfE spokesperson emphasized the implementation of robust data protection measures and swift action in containing the breach, affirming that only limited customer service contact details were compromised.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, expressed concerns over the breach and urged the DfE to promptly clarify the extent of the information accessed to reassure the public. He emphasized the importance of thorough investigation and preventive measures to mitigate any potential risks in the future.