'Personal and sensitive' data stolen during West Lothian council cyber attack

West Lothian Council has confirmed “personal and sensitive” data was stolen during a cyber attack on its education network.

The council was the victim of a sophisticated ransomware cyberattack on Tuesday, May 6, with Police Scotland investigating the theft.

The council is contacting parents and carers at every school in West Lothian to inform them the data was stolen.

The council confirmed on Wednesday a percentage of the overall data stored on the education network was stolen – with personal or sensitive data among the information.

Most of the stolen data relates to “operational issues” for schools, such as lesson plans.

Confidential pupil records, financial data and social work records are stored on different council systems.

West Lothian has 13 secondary schools, 69 primary schools and 61 nurseries.

A council statement read: “We would like to offer our sincere apologies to anyone potentially affected by this criminal cyberattack.

“The education network remains removed from the rest of the council’s networks, and there has been a significant amount of work undertaken by staff to ensure that disruption to education, including SQA exams, has been minimal.

“Contingency arrangements for schools working well, will continue until the end of the current school term.”

The council advised extra vigilance and that there remains the possibility that stolen data might be used for further criminal activity, such as phishing attacks or other scams.

A spokesperson added: “We would ask parents and carers not to contact their school or our customer contact centre regarding the cyberattack, as they do not have any more details than this at this stage.

“Any individual who has evidence that they have been the victim of a crime should contact Police Scotland on 101.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, we received a report of a cyber incident in the West Lothian area.

“Enquiries are ongoing and we are providing support to those affected.”