A group of hackers targeted Kido Schools, a nursery chain, by stealing and posting private pictures and personal data of around 8,000 children on the darknet to extort a ransom in Bitcoin. The criminals also directly threatened parents with phone calls to pressure payment. However, intense public backlash led the hackers to blur images initially and later remove all stolen data, claiming to have deleted it completely and apologizing for their actions. Despite their claims, cybersecurity experts remain skeptical, noting that hackers often retain or sell data even after promising deletion. Kido reportedly did not pay the ransom, which was estimated at approximately £100,000, resulting in a financial loss for the hackers. Investigations revealed the attackers gained access by purchasing entry from a compromised staff member’s computer, then exploiting Kido’s systems, including the Famly education platform, which denied any breach of its own infrastructure. The incident highlights a troubling new trend of targeting vulnerable institutions like nurseries and shows how public and media pressure can influence cybercriminal behavior. Authorities and security experts continue to monitor the situation, urging vigilance in protecting sensitive data.
Original title: Hackers delete children’s pictures and data after nursery attack backlash
The AI system has determined that this news is not clickbait/sensationalist: The original title directly and accurately describes the core event without exaggeration or sensational language. This has coincided with the opinion of the majority of users.
