Bristol schools hack sees 320,000 stolen files published on dark web

More than 320,000 files stolen from Bristol City Council’s schools server have been published on the dark web, the authority says. The breach affects 39 of the 88 schools using its Trading with Schools platform, which was infiltrated by malicious software on 21 September. Bristol City Council became aware four days later and shut the system down on 25 September. For the impacted schools, the platform supports day-to-day operations such as scheduling, lesson planning, staff records and payroll information, and can include sensitive children’s information. Headteachers have been briefed and are issuing guidance to families while the council works out what data was exposed.