UAE's largest school group Gems reports cyber-attack; investigation launched

Gems Education was the target of a cyber-attack, the group confirmed to Khaleej Times on Thursday.

The largest school group in the UAE became aware of the recent cyber security incident at which time they “immediately enacted their cyber-security response plan.”

In a circular sent to parents, the education group said: “We are sorry for contacting you at such a later hour but we wanted you to hear this news from us first. We are writing to you regarding a cyber-attack against Gems Education.”

Reiterating the activation of the group’s response plan in such a situation, Gems Education in a statement to Khaleej Times said: “We can confirm that Gems Education has unfortunately been the target of a cyber-attack in recent days.

"We have enacted our well-rehearsed cybersecurity response plan and our IT team is ensuring that all our systems are safe and secure. We have engaged the necessary third-party expertise to assist us in our investigation and in the meantime all our schools remain open and running as normal.”