Hackers have stolen the personal information of thousands of nursery children, including names, addresses, and photos. The cyber criminals targeted the Kido nursery chain, which operates in London, the US, and India, accessing details of approximately 8,000 children. The hackers are now demanding a ransom from the nursery chain, claiming to possess sensitive information about the children’s parents and caregivers, including safeguarding notes. The BBC reported that the hackers have contacted some parents to extort money and have published details of the breach on their darknet website.
As part of their extortion scheme, the hackers released a sample of the stolen data, featuring photos and profiles of 10 children. Law enforcement authorities have advised against paying ransoms, as it only fuels further cybercrime activities.
One parent, referred to as Mary, shared that the nursery promptly informed them of the security breach. Mary disclosed that her family received an email from the hackers detailing the stolen information. Despite the unsettling situation, Mary praised the nursery’s handling of the incident, mentioning that her partner, who works in cybersecurity, understands the nature of such breaches. The Mirror has reached out to Kido and the Metropolitan Police for comments.
This incident follows a series of cyberattacks on UK supermarkets, with Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Co-op experiencing ransomware attacks in mid-April that disrupted operations and compromised customer data. Harrods successfully prevented a hacking attempt, while a food distributor’s cyberattack resulted in stock issues for Aldi, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.
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