
“I’m Just Scared”: Teen Hacker Jailed After Massive U.S. School Data Breach
Hacker Matthew Lane, now 20, played a central role in the PowerSchool data breach, one of the largest cyberattacks in U.S. education history. As he headed to federal prison in Connecticut, he admitted fear and regret, writing, “It’s extremely sad, and I’m just scared.”
The breach targeted PowerSchool, a platform used by about 80% of school districts in North America. According to the Justice Department, it exposed data tied to roughly 60 million students and 10 million teachers. Sensitive details, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, grades, and medical information, were at risk. Under pressure, the company paid millions in ransom after threats to release the data.
Lane...