Pupils hacking their own schools for fun, watchdog warns
Increasing number of school cyber attacks caused by their own students
- The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned of a growing "insider threat" in schools, with pupils responsible for over half of cyber attacks on their own systems.
- An ICO analysis of 215 personal data breaches in the education sector between January 2022 and 2024 revealed that 57 per cent were caused by students.
- Many student-led incidents involve guessing weak passwords or finding them written down, allowing them to log in rather than bypass security measures.
- The ICO cautioned that while these acts may begin as a "bit of fun," they can cause real damage and potentially lead young people towards a "life of cyber crime."
- Examples cited include students accessing sensitive personal information of thousands of pupils and staff by exploiting weak security or staff logins.