Massachusetts man will plead guilty in PowerSchool hack case | CyberScoop<\/title> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Massachusetts man will plead guilty in PowerSchool hack case\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s the first public break in the case that might be the largest breach of American schoolchildren's data.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cyberscoop\/\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T22:17:44+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T22:17:46+00:00\"> 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id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"4.9180327868852\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Voting is open for the 2025 CyberScoop 50 awards!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.171679197995\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.011049723757\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case\/\"> <span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> It\u2019s the first public break in the case that might be the largest breach of American schoolchildren’s data. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/84611\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> shironosov, iStock\/Getty Images Plus <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"31.264507772021\"><body readability=\"64.681910274964\"><\/p>\n<p>A Massachusetts man will plead guilty to charges related to the hack of PowerSchool, the education software vendor that says it supports more than 60 million students, and that led to <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/powerschool-customers-hit-by-downstream-extortion-threats\/\">ransom demands<\/a> at school boards and districts across the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In court documents filed Tuesday, prosecutors spelled out charges against 19-year-old Assumption University student Matthew Lane and the terms of a plea bargain. While prosecutors didn\u2019t name a victim firm, the description of the company matches that of PowerSchool. A source confirmed to CyberScoop that PowerSchool was one of the victims in Lane\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the first big break in a case that has been said to be the largest single breach ever of American schoolchildren\u2019s data. <\/p>\n<p>According to documents filed Tuesday, Lane and an unnamed co-conspirator obtained stolen victim data from a U.S. telecommunications company, which is not identified in the filings. When the first victim refused to pay a $75,000 ransom, Lane allegedly messaged the co-conspirator, saying \u201cwe need to hack another \u2026 company [that\u2019ll] pay.\u201d The documents state that in September, Lane used a PowerSchool contractor\u2019s credentials to gain unauthorized access to PowerSchool\u2019s networks, where he obtained student and teacher data.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A ransom demand followed in December, according to the documents. PowerSchool said it paid the ransom, but didn\u2019t give the figure. Court documents say that the ransom demand threatened to release sensitive data on 10 million teachers and 60 million students if PowerSchool didn\u2019t pay an amount of Bitcoin then worth nearly $2.9 million.<\/p>\n<p>Last week a New York school district said the State Education Department\u2019s chief privacy officer notified officials there that the group responsible for the attack went by the name \u201cShiny Hunters.\u201d A source familiar with the incident told CyberScoop that Lane was affiliated with the outfit.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/tag\/shinyhunters\/\">ShinyHunters<\/a> is a cybercriminal group that <a href=\"https:\/\/intel471.com\/blog\/shinyhunters-data-breach-mitre-attack\">emerged in April 2020<\/a> and has since been tied to several high-profile data breaches, including Microsoft\u2019s GitHub, photo editing app Pixlr, clothing retailer Bonobos and telecom giant AT&T. <\/p>\n<p>Lane will plead guilty to three of the four charges prosecutors had leveled at him: threatening to impair the confidentiality of information obtained from a protected computer without authorization and aiding and abetting; accessing a protected computer without authorization and aiding and abetting; and aggravated identity theft. <\/p>\n<p>An attorney for Lane did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Federal authorities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/worcester-college-student-plead-guilty-cyber-extortions\">celebrated the outcome<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMatthew Lane apparently thought he found a way to get rich quick, but this 19-year-old now stands accused of hiding behind his keyboard to gain unauthorized access to an education software provider to obtain sensitive data which was used in an attempt to extort millions of dollars. He also allegedly conspired to extort more money from a telecommunications provider over its confidential data,\u201d said Kimberly Milka, acting special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u2019s Boston division. \u201cThis alleged scheme has resulted in serious consequences and highlights the FBI\u2019s ongoing commitment to bringing cyber criminals to justice, no matter what their motivation is for willfully breaking the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Matt Kapko and Greg Otto contributed reporting for this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybercrime\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cybercrime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/fbi\/\" rel=\"category tag\">FBI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/federal-bureau-of-investigation-fbi\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/matthew-lane\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Matthew Lane<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/powerschool\/\" rel=\"category tag\">PowerSchool<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/ransomware\/\" rel=\"category tag\">ransomware<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/shiny-hunters\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Shiny Hunters<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/shinyhunters\/\" rel=\"category 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{"id":7660,"date":"2025-05-20T17:17:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=84611"},"modified":"2025-05-20T17:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:17:44","slug":"massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts man will plead guilty in PowerSchool hack case"},"content":{"rendered":"