Teen Pleads Guilty: Mass. Man Admits to Stealing and Extorting Teacher and Student Data
BOSTON, Mass. (AP) — A college student from Massachusetts plans to admit guilt after allegedly pilfering confidential information belonging to numerous students and educators from two American educational technology firms and then demanding a ransom for it, according to statements made by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Matthew Lane, a 19-year-old Assumption University student, faces accusations of utilizing stolen login information to infiltrate the computer system of a software and cloud storage firm that supports educational institutions across the United States and internationally. This was stated by Leah B. Foley, who serves as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
PowerSchool was not mentioned in the court documents, however, an individual close to the case verified the corporation’s participation.
Based on legal documents, Lane reportedly threatened to disclose the personal information—including names, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, home addresses, and health records—of around 60 million pupils and 10 million educators unless the firm agreed to pay roughly $2.85 million in Bitcoin as ransom.
Foley stated that Lane’s behavior “caused fear among parents who believed their children’s data might have been disclosed to criminals—simply forLane to add another achievement to his hacker credentials.”
The lawyer for Lane did not respond to a telephone message from The Associated Press seeking comments on Wednesday. Lane, who resides in Sterling, Massachusetts, is facing charges including cyber extortion conspiracy, cyber extortion, unlawful entry into protected computers, and aggravated identity theft. As of now, a date for a plea hearing has not been set.
Lane is additionally charged with extorting a $200,000 ransom from another telecom firm last spring by threatening to disclose sensitive customer information.
Apparently, Matthew Lane believed he had discovered a shortcut to wealth, yet this 19-year-old is now charged with allegedly using his computer skills to illegally infiltrate an educational software company and acquire confidential information,” stated Kimberly Milka, who serves as the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This stolen data was then reportedly intended for use in an extortion scheme aiming to extract millions of dollars.
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