Schools across Northern Ireland locked out after cyber attack

An IT system used by schools across Northern Ireland has been targeted in a cyber attack, the Education Authority (EA) has said. On Thursday, schools received a message that as part of “work to manage an IT security issue” the EA would be carrying out a password reset for all users. An EA spokesperson said immediate steps were taken to contain the issue and a full investigation is underway, but it could not confirm whether any personal data has been affected.

It has resulted in all schools and pupils being logged out of their accounts, meaning pupils cannot log in to get work or resources provided by their teachers in the run up to exam season. According to BBC, the EA noted the incident is being treated as a security issue and resilience measures are in place while operations are restored.