Wed, 01 Oct 2025

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 Hackers delete children's pictures and data after nursery attack backlash

The hackers tell the BBC they are sorry for their actions - but experts question say it's a practical rather than moral move.

* Hackers, who called themselves "Radiant", attempted to extort a nursery chain by posting stolen images and data about children on the darknet.
* The hackers claimed to have deleted the information after removing the posts, but experts are skeptical of their claims.
* Cyber-security expert Jen Ellis said: "This is more about pragmatism than morality. These criminals are clearly shocked and worried by the attention their hack has caused."
* The hackers claim they broke into the nursery's systems by buying access to a compromised staff computer and stealing data from an education platform called Famly.
* Famly rejected Kido's claims that the breach happened because of a compromise in their system, saying neither their security nor infrastructure was compromised at any point.
* It's understood that Kido did not pay the ransom of around £100,000, which may have contributed to the hackers' decision to back down.
* The case has raised questions about the morality and motivations of cyber-criminals, with experts pointing out that it's common for hackers to claim they've deleted stolen data only to keep or sell it on.
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