Archive · 22 May 2025
College Student Pleads Guilty to Data Theft, Extortion
A 19-year-old college student named Matthew Lane is going to admit he did something wrong.
He stole private information from two companies that provide technology for schools, including names, phone numbers, and other details.
He then tried to blackmail the companies, threatening to release the information unless they gave him money.
He demanded millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
The student faces serious charges, including cyber extortion and identity theft, and could go to jail.
A Massachusetts college student will plead guilty to stealing data and extorting money.
The student accessed a software company's network using stolen credentials.
He threatened to release sensitive data of millions of students and teachers.
The student demanded a ransom of approximately $2.85 million in Bitcoin.
The student also attempted to extort a telecommunications company.
- Who
- Matthew Lane, a college student
- What
- Stealing and threatening to release private data for ransom.
- When
- A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.
- Where
- Massachusetts, involving U.S. education tech companies
- Why
- To extort money through the release of sensitive data.
- Perpetrator
- Matthew Lane
- Age
- 19
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Target
- Software and cloud storage company
- Data Breached
- 60 million students, 10 million teachers
- Ransom Demand
- $2.85 million
- Ransom Currency
- Bitcoin