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Digital graphic symbolizing a cyber attack and data breach at the Department for Education (DfE).
Information/Cyber Security

The Department for Education confirmed that hackers have accessed its internal helpdesk and the Turing Scheme portal, taking more than 600,000 records. Contact details belonging to headteachers, senior school leaders, government officials and university staff were among the data taken, and some of it has since appeared on the dark web.

Understandably, this has caused a lot of anxiety across the sector and, predictably, a lot of speculation. Was this preventable? Should the DfE have done more? Who's to blame?

Department for Education's Cyber Security Hub graphic, showing digital protection for schools against cyber threats.
Information/Cyber Security

Cyber attacks on schools are no longer a distant threat. The Department for Education (DfE) has just launched a dedicated Cyber Security Hub to help schools navigate this growing danger, and as a school leader, it's worth understanding exactly what it offers and why it matters.  If you were at our conference in February you were lucky enough to see a preview of the tool!

Know your IT Support Provider graphic. IT Support Due Diligence Directory for schools and colleges.
Information/Cyber Security

Finding the right IT partner and support provider is a big decision.  Due diligence for IT Support isn't just about who can 'fix computers', it's about ensuring standards are followed and they work with you to meet your organisation's strategy. Data Protection Education has a DfE IT Support Tracker and Supplier Due Diligence Directory to provide support and guidance as well as tracking your progress.

  1. The Government Cyber Action Plan
  2. Shareable Snippet: Be Cyber Ready
  3. What does the technology in schools survey tell us?
  4. Four London councils hit by cyber attacks - Hackney, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and Hammersmith & Fulham
  5. IT Support Standards for Schools and Colleges Guidance (DfE Digital Standards)
  6. October 31. On the road to improving cyber resilience
  7. October 30. Cyber Support
  8. October 29. Admin Controls & Accounts
  9. October 28. Phishing: Don't Take the Bait!
  10. October 27. Passwords
  11. October 26. Physical Security of Digital Assets
  12. October 25. Server Security: Protecting Your Digital Core
  13. October 24. Backups: Your Recovery Safety Net
  14. October 23. Filtering and Monitoring
  15. October 22. Hardware: Printers
  16. October 21. Hardware: Asset Management
  17. October 20. Hardware: Safe disposal
  18. October 19. Anti-virus/anti-malware
  19. October 18. Regular Updates: Patching Against Threats
  20. October 17. Access Control: Managing User Privileges
  21. October 16. Access Control: Securing Your Digital Gateways (Wi-Fi & Networks)
  22. October 15. Access Control: Securing Your Home Office (Working From Home)
  23. October 14. Access Control : (Multi-factor authentication)
  24. October 13. Cyber Security Awareness
  25. October 12. Training: Empowering your human firewall
  26. October 11. Policies and Procedures: Cyber Blueprint
  27. October 10. Understanding Your Cyber Posture
  28. Time's Ticking: Windows 10 support ends in October 2025!
  29. October 9. A Guide for Education Providers
  30. October 8. How Can Your Organisation Prevent Ransomware Attacks?
  31. October 7: Under Attack: The Reality of Ransomware
  32. October 6: Cyber Action Plan and A Roadmap to Resilience
  33. October 5: Cyber Responsibilities - We're All in This Together
  34. October 4: When a Cyber Attack Hits
  35. October 3: Data Security, the Core of Protection
  36. October 2: Privacy Protection & Safeguarding Personal Data
  37. October 1: Welcome to Cyber Security Awareness Month!
  38. Nursery Cyber attack
  39. The NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework
  40. Fraud awareness from the DfE
  41. The Classroom's Dark Side: Cyber crime from the Classroom
  42. KCSIE 2025: Data Protection, AI, and Cyber Security
  43. New e-learning for 2025
  44. The Latest Cyber Threat: The "Murky Panda"
  45. Building a Secure School: Using the ICO Accountability Framework to Meet DfE Digital Standards
  46. Digital Safeguarding: DfE announces statutory DfE Digital Standards
  47. Compliance Reporting from the Knowledge Bank
  48. Social engineering + impersonation = Fraud ≡ cyber deception
  49. Data Breaches 2025 Report Highlights
  50. School cyber attack: Framlingham College, Suffolk
  51. Getting caught in the Scattered Spider web
  52. A Wake-Up Call for Cyber Vigilance - Danger in the Threat Landscape for Everyone
  53. Social Media and Marketing Guidelines and Training
  54. New Governor Resources
  55. Apple removes its highest level data security tool from UK customers
  56. Safer Internet Day, Cyber Security & Data Protection
  57. The Cyber Resilience Championship
  58. The Multiple Dimensions of Supplier Due Diligence
  59. Blacon High School Cyber Attack
  60. The role of Passkeys in Cyber Resilience and Cyber Security
  61. What the proposed Government legislative proposal around cyber crime means
  62. Effectively communicating during a cyber incident
  63. Safeguarding Identity in Microsoft 365: Protecting the UK Education Sector Against Cyber Threats
  64. Cyber Security Best Practice Area
  65. DfE Digital Standards for Schools and Colleges Tracker
  66. New Policies, Documents, Letters and Posters page
  67. Schools and Trusts Best Practice Area
  68. The DPE Retention Schedule
  69. Making the Rounds Update (now includes reporting)
  70. How does the recent global IT outage affect me?
  71. King's speech introduces new bills in relation to cyber security, smart data and digital information
  72. Out of date technology
  73. What's a Cyber Incident and what should we do?
  74. Cyber attack on a school during half term
  75. Free short cyber training for staff
  76. The rise of cyber attacks in schools are causing pupils to miss classes
  77. ICO: Learning from the mistakes of others report
  78. Children's mental health data leaked after a cyber attack
  79. Cyber attack on a Trust; the aftermath
  80. Social Media Best Practice Area
  81. Lettings Best Practice Area
  82. MFA Bombing - What is it?
  83. Product Focus on Checklists : Initial Trust Plan
  84. Product Focus on Checklists : Information and Cyber Security
  85. Product Focus on Checklists : End of Term Checklist
  86. Product Focus on Checklists : Social Media
  87. Cyber Incident Review: The Benefits
  88. Product Focus on Checklists : Lettings
  89. Product Focus on Checklists : Record of Processing
  90. Why Data Should Stay Put: Benefits of Keeping Data in Its Original System
  91. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Retention and Destruction
  92. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Migration
  93. Product Focus on Checklists : Biometrics
  94. Product Focus on Checklists : Supplier Due Diligence
  95. Free Cyber help, advice and training with the Cyber Resilience Centres
  96. The Perils of Paper: The Printing Vulnerability
  97. Product Focus on Checklists : FOI
  98. Product Focus on Checklists : Governors and Data
  99. Product Focus on Checklists : DPIA
  100. Product Focus on Checklists : Site Moves
  101. Product Focus on Checklists : Data Breaches
  102. Product Focus on Checklists : Subject Access Requests
  103. Cyber attack on a University
  104. Product Focus on Checklists : Bring your own device
  105. Product Focus on Checklists : Working out of school/offsite
  106. Cyber Attack on a School
  107. Product Focus on Checklists : Redaction
  108. Product Focus on Checklists : CCTV
  109. Product Focus on Checklists : Clear desk
  110. Product Focus on Checklists : Commitment to compliance
  111. Product Focus on Checklists : Photos and video
  112. Product Focus on Checklists : Passwords
  113. Product Focus on Checklists : Information Classification
  114. Kent Councils Data Breach
  115. Free cyber training for staff
  116. DfE Digital Standards Update
  117. Where is your data stored?
  118. Phishing attacks targeting schools - alert from City of London Police
  119. The ICO reprimands a Multi Academy Trust
  120. CISA and UK NCSC Announce Joint Guidelines for Secure AI System Development
  121. Trust Initial Plan Checklist Update
  122. Update on Advisory for Rhysida Ransomware
  123. Records Management Best Practice Update
  124. The Crime in a Cyber Attack and a Data Breach
  125. NCSC Annual Review is published for 2023
  126. Learning from Data Breaches
  127. Windows 11 security ineffective against attacks on old devices
  128. Trust Initial Plan for Data Protection Compliance (for Multi Academy Trusts)
  129. International Counter Ransomware Initiative 2023 Joint Statement
  130. Google for Education Resources: Helping IT Admins meet DfE digital and technology standards
  131. Top Ten Cyber Security Misconfigurations
  132. ICO Reprimand: company suffered a ransomware attack
  133. The UK Online Safety Bill becomes an Act (Law)
  134. The importance of software updates (PaperCut vulnerability and Rhysida ransomware)
  135. Ransomware, extortion and the cyber crime ecosystem
  136. Cyber Resource: The Cyber Resilience Centre Group
  137. Email and Security: ICO recent guidance
  138. Help after a Cyber Attack/Incident
  139. What to do in the event of a Cyber Attack
  140. How KCSIE is linked to Cyber Strategy
  141. Cyber Crime: AI Generated Phishing Attacks
  142. Cyber Attack: Exam Boards
  143. VICE SOCIETY - Ransomware attacks on schools
  144. Using Tags if you are a group of organisations in the DPE Knowledge Bank
  145. Where's Harry the Hacker?
  146. Be Cyber Aware: USB Sticks
  147. Cyber Insurance in the Public Sector
  148. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDos Attack (Microsoft DDoS Attack in June)
  149. Cyber Attack: Leytonstone School
  150. Be Cyber Aware: Firewalls
  151. Be Cyber Aware: Cyber attacks and transparency. A no blame culture
  152. Cyber Attack: Dorchester School
  153. Knowledge Bank Role Types: Admin, Staff and Trustee
  154. Types of Cyber Attacks: Password Attacks
  155. Be Cyber Aware: Why regular software updates are important
  156. Cyber Attack: Wiltshire School
  157. Keeping your IT systems safe and secure
  158. Why we recommend using PIN codes on printers
  159. Types of Cyber Attacks: DDoS Attacks
  160. Types of Cyber Attacks: Phishing
  161. Redaction Guidelines Updated
  162. Types of Cyber Attacks: The Insider Threat
  163. Why your data is profitable to cyber criminals
  164. Using WhatsApp in Schools
  165. Knowledge Bank Updates
  166. Types of malware and how they are linked to data protection
  167. Windows Server 2012 & 2012 R2 Retirement
  168. How to contact us for support, subject access requests, data breaches and FOI's
  169. How a school fought back after a cyberattack
  170. Types of Cyber Attacks - Credential Stuffing
  171. January Cyber update - How Can Schools Help Prevent Cyber Attacks?
  172. Assigning courses to staff using to-dos
  173. The Education sector now at highest risk of cyber attacks
  174. Cyber Attacks
  175. Best Practice for Managing Photos and Video
  176. Compliance Manager released
  177. Emails – good practice and minimising the risk of a data breach

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