Hacker Sentenced to 4 Years for Stealing Data of 60M Students, 10M Teachers

In a significant cybercrime case, a 20-year-old Massachusetts man named Matthew Lane was sentenced on October 13, 2025, to 4 years in prison for hacking into the network of education software provider PowerSchool and stealing sensitive data belonging to millions of students and teachers across the United States.

Lane, who had been a student at Assumption University in Worcester when he was first charged, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to engaging in cyber extortion, aggravated identity theft, and accessing protected computers without authorization. According to prosecutors, Lane exploited an earlier data breach at a telecommunications company and, claiming to be a member of a notorious hacking group, demanded a $200,000 ransom to avoid having the data leaked.

Using the stolen login credentials, Lane then gained access to PowerSchool's network, allowing him to steal personal data for more than 60 million students and 10 million teachers nationwide. Days later, PowerSchool received a ransom demand of $2.85 million worth of bitcoin, threatening to leak the sensitive information unless the payment was made. Ultimately, PowerSchool decided to pay the ransom to prevent the data from becoming public.

In addition to the 4-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Margaret Guzman ordered Lane to pay over $14 million in restitution and a $25,000 fine. A spokesperson for PowerSchool expressed the company's appreciation for the efforts of prosecutors and law enforcement in bringing the individual to justice.