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London cops on Tuesday arrested two teenagers on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail following a ransomware attack on a chain of London preschools.
London's Metropolitan Police said the two men, both aged 17, were taken into custody during an operation at residential properties in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. The arrests followed a September 25 referral from the UK's Action Fraud reporting center detailing a ransomware attack on the preschools.
While the Met police didn't name the schools, the timing of the referral coincides with a digital break-in at Kido International, a preschool and daycare organization that operates in the UK, US, and India.
In a very aggressive - and disgusting - attempt to extort a ransom payment from Kido, the criminals published profiles of 10 children, including photos, names, and home addresses, along with their parents' contact details and in some cases places of work, threatening to expose more if the ransom demand wasn't met.
A new crime crew calling itself the Radiant Group claimed responsibility for the attack, and posted the preschool's name, along with its pupils' profiles, as the first leak on its dark web site.
The ransomware gang later deleted the kids' and parents' data, apparently under pressure from other criminals – but not before some of the parents reported receiving threatening calls.
- Callous crims break into preschool network, publish toddlers' data
- Ransomware scumbags say they deleted kids' info after other gangs called them out
- Radiant Group won't touch kids' data now, but apparently hospitals are fair game
- Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters offering $10 in Bitcoin to 'endlessly harass' execs
A spokesperson for Kido said that "We welcome this swift action from the Met Police and recognise this is an important milestone in the process of bringing those responsible to justice. We have cooperated throughout this process with law enforcement and the relevant authorities. We remain committed to supporting police and, importantly, families, colleagues, and the wider Kido community."
"We understand reports of this nature can cause considerable concern, especially to those parents and carers who may be worried about the impact of such an incident on them and their families," Met's head of economic and cybercrime Will Lyne said in a statement.
"We want to reassure the community and anyone affected that this matter continues to be taken extremely seriously," Lyne continued. "These arrests are a significant step forward in our investigation, but our work continues, alongside our partners, to ensure those responsible are brought to justice." ®
Updated on October 8 at 1432 with a quote from Kido.
