Portadown: Teenager arrested by police probing cyber attack as Education Authority confirms some personal data compromised
A teenager was arrested in the Portadown area on Wednesday (April 15) as part of an investigation into a cyber attack involving the Education Authority.
Detectives from the PSNI’s Cyber Crime Investigation Team arrested the 16-year-old male on suspicion of offences under Sections 1, 2 and 3A of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
He has since been released pending further enquiries. A follow-up search has taken place. Police say the arrest forms part of an ongoing investigation into a report received on Thursday, April 2, of network intrusion activity involving the Education Authority (EA).
Meanwhile, the EA says the ongoing investigation into the recent cyber incident has now confirmed there was a targeted attack on a small number of schools which is believed to have compromised some personal data.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EA added: “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.