A 16-yr-old boy has been taken into custody by police investigating the hacking of IT systems affecting several schools in Northern Ireland.
He was arrested by the PSNI earlier in the Portadown area of Co Armagh, reports RTE.
The teenager has since been released while further police investigations continue.
A search operation has also been conducted, reports RTE.
Police stated that the arrest is connected to a report received at the beginning of April from Northern Ireland’s Education Authority regarding “network intrusion activity”.
The Education Authority said it now believes there was a “targeted attack on a small number of schools which is believed to have compromised some personal data”, reports RTE.
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It added that its main focus is on informing the individuals and schools affected.
The Education Authority also indicated that it believes the incident has been “contained”, reports RTE.
It said: “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 system and that all impacted systems return to normal,” reports RTE.
The issue first came to the attention of the Education Authority on Friday, 10 April.
Forensic specialists were engaged to investigate the matter, and they determined that there had been “specific and targeted access of personal data”, reports RTE.
Both the PSNI and the Information Commissioner’s Office were notified.
It was stated that personal data from a “small number of schools” had been accessed before further security steps were implemented, reports RTE.
The Education Authority confirmed that any individuals whose data was accessed will be notified, reports RTE.
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