A ransomware gang that hacked a British nursery chain and posted children’s photos online has backtracked after massive public outrage, even apologizing for the attack. Proof that even hackers hate bad PR.
In late September, parents across the UK were left horrified after learning that hackers had breached the systems of Kido, a nursery chain, stealing photos and personal information about thousands of children. The cybercriminals demanded roughly £600,000 ($800,000 USD) in Bitcoin to delete the data.
The hackers, who called themselves Radiant, even contacted parents directly with threats to pressure payment. But after a week of backlash, the group suddenly reversed course.
They blurred the images, then deleted everything, claiming to have erased the stolen data entirely. “All child data is now being deleted. No more remains and this can comfort parents,” one member of the gang told the BBC. “We are sorry for hurting kids.”
Ransomware group apologizes for hacking toddlers
Experts believe Radiant’s retreat wasn’t a moral awakening but a survival tactic. “I wouldn’t give them too much credit,” said Jamie MacColl, senior cybersecurity research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. “There are some red lines, and this group crossed one of them.”
The decision to pull back likely came from pressure within hacker circles, particularly in Russian-speaking cybercrime networks where targeting children is taboo and draws unwanted attention.
“The revulsion comes from the good guys,” MacColl explained. “But there will be pressure from the Russian cyber community or even law enforcement because the level of scrutiny they were drawing from Western law agencies is not worth it.”
Kido has reportedly not paid any ransom. Radiant is believed to be a new and inexperienced hacking group, one that learned the hard way that even in the dark web, some targets are off limits.
Google crede ancora negli smart display: con Gemini saranno fantastici