Students an increasing source of cyber threat in UK schools | Computer Weekly

"Students acting maliciously - often for fun - are increasingly the cause of cyber attacks affecting schools and colleges in the UK, according to new data from the Information Commissioner's Office, which today warned that the culprits may be setting themselves up for a life of cyber crime."

"Britain's data protection regulator probed over 200 insider data breach reports in the education sector between January 2022 and August 2024, and found that over half, 57% in total, were caused by students, and almost a third, 30% all told, were caused by stolen login details, with students responsible for 97% of those."

"Whilst education settings are experiencing large numbers of cyber attacks, there is still growing evidence that 'insider threat' is poorly understood, largely unremedied and can lead to future risk of harm and criminality," said Heather Toomey, principal cyber specialist at the ICO. "What starts out as a dare, a challenge, a bit of fun in a school setting can ultimately lead to children taking part in damaging attacks on organisations or critical infrastructure. "It's important that we understand the next generation's interests and motivations in the online world to ensure children remain on the right side of the law and progress into rewarding careers in a sector in constan"

Students are increasingly responsible for cyber attacks on UK schools and colleges, often motivated by fun or dares. The Information Commissioner's Office investigated over 200 insider data breach reports in the education sector between January 2022 and August 2024. The ICO found that 57% of breaches were caused by students and that 30% of incidents involved stolen login details, with students responsible for 97% of those. The trend coincides with prolific teenage hacker groups such as Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters and Lapsus$. A National Crime Agency report found significant youth engagement in illegal online activity and cited referrals to prevention programmes.

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