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More than 300,000 school files stolen in cyber attack found on dark web

Independent • November 4, 2026

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At least 320,000 school files stolen during a cyber attack on Bristol City Council servers have been discovered published on the dark web .

The September breach targeted the Trading with Schools platform, which was shut down on 25 September after data from 39 regional schools was compromised.

Specialist investigators are working to determine the full extent of the leaked data, which could include sensitive materials such as payroll details and educational psychology files.

Vik Verma, director of education and skills at Bristol City Council, acknowledged the concern for the community and urged parents, carers and staff to remain vigilant.

Schools are cooperating with law enforcement and cyber security experts while advising families to avoid opening unexpected messages or links.

The full story

This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Bristol Schools Cyber Attack Exposes 320,000 Files on Dark Web A cyber attack on Bristol City Council's Trading with Schools platform resulted in the theft and publication of over 320,000 files on the dark web. The breach, which occurred on September 21, affected 39 schools that utilize the platform for various administrative tasks, including sensitive student information. The council became aware of the attack four days later and shut down the system on September 25. Investigations are ongoing to determine the nature of the data exposed and which individuals may be affected. School heads are advising families to remain vigilant against potential scams following the data theft. The council is collaborating with cyber security experts and law enforcement to assess the situation and provide updates to the affected community. 28 sources 69

Extracted Entities

More than 300,000 school files stolen in cyber attack found on dark web

The full story

Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

Companies (2)

CWE Weaknesses (1)

MITRE ATT&CK (1)