Camilla Jessen
The two suspects are accused of posting the sensitive information to the dark web for ransom.
Two men in the U.K. have been arrested after allegedly hacking an international preschool company and leaking sensitive data to the dark web.
Targeting preschool network
British police have arrested two men accused of stealing the personal data and photographs of nearly 8,000 preschool children and attempting to ransom the information for cryptocurrency.
The two suspects
The suspects, ages 17 and 22, were detained in the United Kingdom after allegedly breaching the database of Kido International, a global preschool chain with campuses across London, the United States, China, and India.
This was reported by The Daily Mail and BBC News.
The pair, who reportedly go by the alias “Radiant,” are being held for questioning.
Children’s data leaked to the dark web
Authorities say the hackers infiltrated Kido’s internal systems and obtained thousands of sensitive records, including photos, personal information, and parent contact details.
The stolen material was allegedly posted on the dark web after the suspects demanded a ransom to prevent its release.
Parents were reportedly contacted directly and ordered to pay approximately £600,000 ($809,700) in bitcoin, according to CNN.
Ransom demands went unanswered
Kido International refused to comply with the ransom demands, and investigators believe the suspects did not receive any payment.
Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed that Kido reported the breach and said the case is under review.
“The safety and privacy of children remains paramount, and we will work with our partners to understand the full impact of this incident and support those affected,” the agency said in a statement shared with The New York Times.
“We do it for money,” hacker tells BBC
Following the arrests, the BBC reported that one of the suspects contacted the network directly.
“We do it for money, not for anything other than money,” he said, adding that English was not his first language and that others were hired to make threatening phone calls to parents.
“I’m aware we are criminals,” the individual reportedly said. “This isn’t my first time and will not be my last time.”
“The risk of physical harm is extremely low”
Cybersecurity experts stressed that, while the breach is deeply disturbing, the physical risk to children remains low.
Ciaran Martin, former head of the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre, told BBC News: “The hackers are trying to stoke up fear, but the risk of physical harm to children is extremely low.”
Software company denies responsibility
The hackers reportedly exploited the systems of Famly, a third-party childcare software platform, during their cyberattack.
Famly’s CEO, Anders Laustsen, condemned the incident as “a truly barbaric new low,” but said the company’s own systems were not compromised.
“We have conducted a thorough investigation and can confirm that there has been no breach of Famly’s infrastructure and no other customers have been affected,” Laustsen told the BBC.
“We take data security and privacy extremely seriously.”
A growing threat to schools and families
The Kido breach is one of several cyberattacks in recent years targeting education and childcare systems — institutions that hold sensitive data but often lack advanced cybersecurity protections.
British authorities have not yet confirmed whether the suspects will face additional charges related to cyber extortion or child data privacy violations.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, which may have used AI in the preparation
