Northern Ireland's Education Authority (EA) says it is making "good progress" in restoring access to the C2K school IT system after it was hit by a cyber attack last week, as teams continue working to bring the network back online for all schools across the region.
The EA confirmed on Sunday, Apr. 6, that its teams had been working through the weekend to restore the C2K system "safely and securely," starting with post-primary schools.
In a public statement, the authority said: "We are continuing to make good progress to restore access to the C2K system following the recent cyber attack. This work will continue over the coming days, as we move to stand the system back up in all schools as soon as possible," according to the BBC.
The attack was first detected on Thursday, April 3, when schools received a message that the EA would be carrying out a password reset for all users as part of efforts to manage what it described as "an IT security issue." The C2K network, managed by Capita, provides all online and IT services to schools across Northern Ireland, including access to email, OneDrive, and digital learning platforms.
As an immediate security response, the EA and Capita carried out a full password reset across the school network. Priority was given to post-primary students in exam years, with dedicated support teams in place over the Easter weekend to process resets.
The disruption hit at a particularly sensitive time in the school calendar, with thousands of students due to sit GCSE, AS, and A-Level examinations shortly after the Easter break.
Methodist College Belfast principal Jenny Lendrum said more than 800 pupils at her school were preparing for exams, and that the C2K system is central to how students access all of their schoolwork, including Google Classroom materials, online platforms, and school emails.
One student, Kian Hawes, education officer for the Secondary Students Union of Northern Ireland, said the timing put additional pressure on students who rely heavily on online resources for revision.
Craig Mairs, principal of Sullivan Upper School in County Down, told parents by email that senior teaching and non-teaching staff had successfully regained access by Sunday morning, Ozarab reported.
He noted, however, that each student and staff member must have their passwords reset individually, a task he described as "very significant," and said the school would open on Easter Monday for students in Years 11 to 14 with upcoming exams.
The EA said the investigation remains at an early stage, and it "cannot yet be confirmed if any personal data has been affected." The authority said it is engaging with the Information Commissioner's Office and other relevant authorities as part of its response.
Nick Mathison, chair of Stormont's education committee, said the main concern for MLAs and the EA was to determine whether a data breach had occurred. He stressed the need to quickly communicate with those who may be affected and to provide data security advice without delay.
The EA said it will continue to roll out restoration efforts across all schools over the coming days. Updates are being provided through the EA's official website at eani.org.uk and its social media channels, as per Western People.
