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Technology

320,000 Files From 39 Bristol Schools Published on Dark Web After September Hack

More than 320,000 files stolen from Bristol schools in a September cyberattack have been published on the dark web, Bristol City Council said, and investigators still cannot say exactly what the files hold or who is affected.

By admin Nov. 5, 2026 · 10:44 PM ET 2 min read

A red-brick British school building with an empty playground, bike racks and a slide under an overcast sky.

More than 320,000 files stolen from schools in Bristol, England, during a cyberattack in September have been published on the dark web, the BBC reported, and Bristol City Council confirmed that a large volume of stolen material had been put online.

The files came from the council’s Trading with Schools platform, which provides IT and administrative support to schools in the city. Data linked to 39 schools has been found in the material, according to the BBC. The council said it had not yet confirmed the full contents of the files or the full list of people affected.

A dark server room with rows of rack cabinets and small blinking lights.

Malicious software got into the platform on September 21, the council said. Staff found suspicious activity four days later and shut the system down on September 25. The shutdown left many schools without their telephone systems and forced them to find other ways to deliver lessons.

The 88 schools that use the platform fall into two groups. Forty-nine of them buy only internet services from it, and the council said the data theft was not believed to have touched those schools. The other 39 use it for day-to-day work such as schedules, lesson plans, staff records and payroll, and for storing information on pupils.

What may be in the files

The council has not confirmed which kinds of records were in the leak. The BBC reported that the material could include staff records and payroll information, along with children’s educational psychology files. The council said officers were still auditing the published files.

An empty school classroom with rows of wooden desks and chairs and a blank chalkboard.

“At present it is not possible to confirm all schools or individuals affected by the theft. Officers are working to audit the published files and establish this picture as quickly as possible,” the council said in a statement.

Vik Verma, the council’s director of education and skills, said: “Officers are working through a large volume of material as quickly as possible.” The council has told families to stay alert for unexpected messages, emails or phone calls that could be scams built on the stolen data.

Police and cyber experts join the inquiry

The council is working with Avon and Somerset Police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and specialist cybersecurity advisers. The National Cyber Security Centre has warned that schools and other parts of the education sector are among the most targeted parts of the public sector.

Two hands typing on a laptop keyboard in a dim room, the screen out of focus.

The leak is the latest stage of an incident that began in September, when the council first found malware in the system. Early checks had suggested that no data had been taken, but that changed when the files appeared online.

Reporting based on coverage by the BBC, Silicon UK and TES.

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