United Kingdom, Sept. 14 -- The UK's data regulator has warned schools and colleges of a "worrying trend" of pupils hacking their own IT systems for fun or on dares.

Information Commissioner's Office officials also warn staff are failing to recognise the "insider threat" posed by students.

According to its latest figures, the majority of insider cyber-attacks and data breaches in education settings - those carried out by someone with access to internal systems - originate with children.

Heather Toomey, the ICO's principal cyber specialist, was quoted by the BBC saying: "What starts out as a dare, a challenge, a bit of fun in a school setting can ultimately lead to children taking part in damaging attacks on organisations or critical in...