320,000 School Files Leaked on Dark Web After Bristol Council Hack

More than 320,000 files stolen in a cyberattack on Bristol City Council’s Trading with Schools platform have been published on the dark web. Malware got into the platform on September 21, 2026, and the council shut it down four days later. A ransomware group listed the council on its leak site on October 27.

The council has named 39 schools whose data may have been taken, including Filton Avenue Nursery School and Bristol Hospital Education Service, though not every school on the list was hit. Those 39 ran lesson planning, scheduling, and other daily work on the platform; the other 49 of its 88 users only bought internet services through it.

Head teachers were told on November 3, and parents and staff the next morning. The council says it won’t know which schools or individuals are affected until a forensic review of the files is complete, and it is warning families to watch for phishing and unusual account activity.

Source: BBC News