Man arrested following reported cyber-attack in Market Harborough

A man has been arrested in connection with a reported cyber-attack at Welland Park School, Market Harborough.

Officers received a report of a major IT outage at the school on Monday 18 January that prevented the school from delivering remote learning and accessing material to support the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children who are attending school.

It was subsequently discovered that a sophisticated cyber-attack had occurred which affected personal devices that connected to the school’s network.

92 personal devices have been affected.

Officers from the force’s Cyber Crime Unit are investigating the incident and a 28-year-old man from Wellingborough has been arrested under section 1 and 3 of the Computer Misuse Act.

He has since been released under investigation and enquiries are continuing.

Officers worked round the clock with the school and Microsoft to remove the threat to personal devices, which was swiftly achieved and work is continuing to restore the school’s IT capability as quickly as possible.

There is currently no evidence of any data exfiltration.

Officers would like to thank school staff, parents and pupils for their support and cooperation during this investigation.

Anyone who has been affected should contact [email protected].