Share and Follow

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts college student will plead guilty to stealing millions of students’ and teachers’ private data from two U.S. education tech companies and extorting it for ransom, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Assumption University student Matthew Lane, 19, is accused of using stolen login credentials to access the computer network of a software and cloud storage company serving school systems in the U.S. and abroad, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley.

PowerSchool was not named in the court filings, but a source familiar with the case confirmed the company’s involvement.

According to court records, Lane is then alleged to have threatened the release of 60 million students’ and 10 million teachers’ names, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, residential addresses and medical histories if the company did not pay a ransom of approximately $2.85 million in Bitcoin.

Foley said Lane’s actions “instilled fear in parents that their kids’ information had been leaked into the hands of criminals – all to put a notch in his hacking belt.”

An attorney representing Lane didn’t return a phone call from The Associated Press requesting comment on Wednesday. Lane, of Sterling, Mass., faces counts of cyber extortion conspiracy, cyber extortion and unauthorized access to protected computers and aggravated identity theft. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Lane is also accused of extorting a $200,000 ransom payment from another telecommunications company last spring by threatening to release customer data.

“Matthew Lane apparently thought he found a way to get rich quick, but this 19-year-old now stands accused of hiding behind his keyboard to gain unauthorized access to an education software provider to obtain sensitive data which was used in an attempt to extort millions of dollars,” said Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Pictured: Homeless hero 'John' who blew Brown University case open

Photograph: Meet ‘John,’ the Homeless Whistleblower Who Uncovered the Brown University Case

A homeless user on Reddit played a crucial role in helping police…
Inside former Prince Andrew's humiliating last Royal Lodge Christmas

Former Prince Andrew Faces Humiliation During Final Christmas at Royal Lodge

Battling the relentless downpour and the biting winds of fate, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor…
DOJ accused of censoring Epstein files as full documents are redacted

Controversy Erupts Over DOJ’s Heavily Redacted Epstein Documents

The Department of Justice is facing backlash after heavily redacting documents from…
FILE - The gates of Harvard Yard at Harvard University, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Trump Administration Challenges Court Ruling on Harvard’s Federal Funding Reinstatement

The Trump administration is challenging a federal judge’s decision to overturn billions…
US launches retaliatory strikes in Syria

U.S. Conducts Strategic Counterattacks in Syria

The U.S. military carried out targeted strikes on numerous Islamic State locations…
Travel nightmare unfolds at major East Coast airports as powerful storm unleashes vicious winds, rain

Chaos in the Skies: East Coast Airports Paralyzed by Fierce Storms and High Winds

NEW YORK – On Friday morning, a vast portion of the East…
Friend of Brown shooter reveals he saw as classmates 'slaves'

Revealing the Mindset: Shooter’s Friend Discusses Disturbing Views on Classmates

A confidant of the gunman behind the tragic shooting at Brown University…
TV anchor tells how she was pulled off screens after 27 years

Veteran TV Anchor Shares Her Experience of Unexpected Departure After 27 Years on Air

After nearly thirty years as the prominent figure of a California news…