Exclusive School Hacked by Cyber Attackers

Strategic Insights -

A cyber attack has targeted Fettes College, a prestigious boarding school in Scotland, with hackers attempting to defraud families of students by stealing their personal details. The school, known for its high fees of over £40,000 per year, said it is taking the incident seriously and has launched a full investigation with the help of external IT experts. The attack is the latest in a string of cyber attacks to hit Scotland in the past 12 months, including the NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Western Isles Council, and the University of the West of Scotland.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fettes College, a private boarding school in Scotland, was targeted by cyber attackers in May, with hackers attempting to defraud families of students by stealing their personal details.
  • The school has confirmed that a "handful" of families of prospective students were conned out of "large sums" of money.
  • The cyber attack is the latest in a string of attacks to hit Scotland in the past 12 months, including the NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Western Isles Council, and the University of the West of Scotland.
  • Hackers stole and published more than three terabytes of "staff and patient-identifiable" data from NHS Dumfries and Galloway's IT system in February.
  • Western Isles Council systems were brought down by cyber criminals in November, and the University of the West of Scotland was targeted by ransom gang Rhysida in July, demanding £450,000 worth of bitcoin.
  • Fettes College is taking the incident seriously and has launched a full investigation with the help of external IT experts.
  • Police Scotland is investigating the cyber attack and is providing support to those affected.

Statistics:

  • Over £40,000 per year: the high fees charged by Fettes College
  • 3 terabytes: the amount of "staff and patient-identifiable" data stolen by hackers from NHS Dumfries and Galloway's IT system
  • £450,000: the ransom demanded by ransom gang Rhysida from the University of the West of Scotland
  • 12 months: the time period during which several high-profile cyber attacks have hit Scotland, including the NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Western Isles Council, and the University of the West of Scotland.

Sources:

  • A Fettes College spokesman
  • Police Scotland
  • "Hackers steal three terabytes of data from NHS Dumfries and Galloway"
  • "Cyber attack forces Western Isles Council to shut down systems"
  • "University of the West of Scotland hit by ransomware attack"