PSNI arrest 16-year-old boy in Portadown over cyber attack on Northern Ireland schools' IT system
The Education Minister has said access to Northern Ireland schools' IT system has been resolved after a cyber attack.
It comes as a 16-year-old boy was arrested by police investigating the attack.
Paul Givan told UTV "it wouldn't be appropriate" for him to comment on the arrest.
He said "every step has been taken to ensure systems are secure and protected".
The Education Authority (EA) said it believed “some personal data" was compromised in the attack earlier in April.
The IT system, called C2K left schools and pupils unable to log into their accounts.
An EA spokesperson said: “The ongoing investigation into the recent cyber incident has now confirmed that there was a targeted attack on a small number of schools which is believed to have compromised some personal data.
“Our immediate priority is notifying the individuals and schools impacted by the attack.
“That process is being urgently progressed, guided by the final findings of the investigation and advice from the PSNI and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
“It remains the assessment of our system managers that the cyber incident is contained.
“Additional security measures were deployed at the beginning of this month on detection of the incident.
“Intensive work continues to ensure schools are fully reconnected to the C2k system and that all impacted systems return to normal.”
Online and IT systems in schools are provided through the C2K network.
The EA recently apologised for the impact of the cyber attack on pupils who were preparing for exams over the Easter break.
The PSNI said: “Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s cyber crime investigation team arrested a 16-year-old male on suspicion of offences under Sections 1, 2 and 3A of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
“The male was arrested earlier today [Wednesday] in the Portadown area, Wednesday 15 April, and has since been released pending further enquiries.
“A follow-up search has taken place.
“The arrest forms part of an ongoing investigation into a report received on Thursday 2 April of network intrusion activity involving the Education Authority.”
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