Thousands of pupils' passwords reset after schools targeted in cyber attack

Thousands of schoolchildren across Edinburgh attended school on Saturday to reset their passwords following a phishing attack.

The attack was detected on Friday afternoon when a member of staff noticed “unusual and suspicious” activity on the city’s schools and early years IT network.

The council took the decision to reset passwords for all users as a “precautionary measure”, leaving staff and students unable to log into the network until they reset their password on their return to school.

Secondary schools across Edinburgh were open from 10.15am to 12pm on Saturday to allow students who had exams early next week to attend in person to obtain a new password – a move which saw around 2,500 pupils attend.

The council also confirmed that no data has been compromised as a result of the attack.

Education, Children and Families Convener Councillor James Dalgleish said: “We saw approximately 2,500 young people attend their secondary schools to reset their passwords this morning – and I’m delighted that our dedicated school staff were on hand to support them and minimise the impact on their exam preparations.

“My thanks once again to our colleagues for their quick thinking and vigilance – without which this could have been far worse – and for their work throughout the weekend to ensure the attack was contained and our networks remain secure and protected.

“Close monitoring will continue over the coming days and we’re keeping the Scottish Government and Police Scotland up-to-date.

“I’d like to wish all of our students sitting exams in the coming days and weeks the very best of luck.”