PowerSchool hacker sentenced to 4 years in prison | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Matthew Lane pleaded guilty to crimes stemming from attacks on PowerSchool and a U.S. telecom company earlier this year. His sentence is half the amount prosecutors sought in the cause.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/powerschool-hacker-matthew-lane-sentenced\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PowerSchool hacker sentenced to 4 years in prison\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Matthew Lane pleaded guilty to crimes stemming from attacks on PowerSchool and a U.S. telecom company earlier this year. 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href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/powerschool-hacker-matthew-lane-sentenced\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <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=\"25.27030162413\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.329466357309\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/powerschool-hacker-matthew-lane-sentenced\/\"> <span>Cybercrime<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Matthew Lane pleaded guilty to crimes stemming from attacks on PowerSchool and a U.S. telecom company earlier this year. His sentence is half the amount prosecutors sought in the cause. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/86383\/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=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1536,1153 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=224,168 224w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=449,337 449w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-2.jpg?resize=1123,843 1123w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"30.378082191781\"><body readability=\"62.525806451613\"><\/p>\n<p>A Massachusetts man who previously <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/massachusetts-man-will-plead-guilty-in-powerschool-hack-case\/\">pleaded guilty<\/a> to a cyberattack on PowerSchool, exposing data on tens of millions of students and teachers, was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday \u2014 half the amount federal prosecutors sought in sentencing recommendations submitted to the court.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Lane, 20, stole data from PowerSchool belonging to nearly 70 million students and teachers, extorted the California-based company for a ransom, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powerschool.com\/security\/sis-incident\/\">it paid<\/a>, causing the education software vendor more than $14 million in financial losses, according to prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Margaret Guzman sentenced Lane to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Lane was also ordered to pay almost $14.1 million in restitution and a $25,000 fine for crimes involving the attack on PowerSchool and an undisclosed U.S. telecommunications company.<\/p>\n<p>Federal prosecutors were seeking a sentence of eight years for Lane, arguing that the crimes he pleaded guilty to follow a series of cybercriminal activity dating back to 2021. \u201cThe government has serious concerns that Lane poses an ongoing threat to the community and remains in denial about the scope of his criminal activity,\u201d prosecutors said in a sentencing memo filed Oct. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. <\/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>Prosecutors cited multiple examples of other cybercriminals who committed and were convicted of less serious crimes. In those cases, the lighter sentences cybercriminals received did not sufficiently deter them from reengaging in cybercrime upon their release from jail. Lane\u2019s attack on PowerSchool put 10 million teachers and 60 million children, some as young as five years old, at risk of identity theft for the remainder of their lives, prosecutors said. <\/p>\n<p>The PowerSchool attack, which Lane committed in September 2024 by using a PowerSchool contractor\u2019s credentials to gain unauthorized access, is reportedly the single largest breach of American schoolchildren\u2019s data on record. Lane threatened to release the data in December 2024 if PowerSchool didn\u2019t pay a ransom valued at nearly $2.9 million at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple school district customers of PowerSchool received follow-on extortion demands linked to the stolen same data, the company said in May. The downstream extortion attempts underscore how cybercriminals, affiliated or not, will continue to exploit sensitive data for financial gain.<\/p>\n<p>Lane forfeited almost $161,000 traced to his crimes, but about $3 million in illicit proceeds remains unaccounted for, according to court documents. \u201cThe money he returned is barely one percent of the financial loss he caused,\u201d prosecutors said in the court filing.<\/p>\n<p>Lane is required to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by Dec. 1.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.6255060728745\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\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\/10\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matt Kapko\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Matt Kapko<\/h4>\n<p> Matt Kapko is a reporter at CyberScoop. His beat includes cybercrime, ransomware, software defects and vulnerability (mis)management. The lifelong Californian started his journalism career in 2001 with previous stops at Cybersecurity Dive, CIO, SDxCentral and RCR Wireless News. Matt has a degree in journalism and history from Humboldt State University. <\/p>\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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{"id":8083,"date":"2025-10-15T17:27:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=86383"},"modified":"2025-10-15T17:27:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:27:04","slug":"powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/powerschool-hacker-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"PowerSchool hacker sentenced to 4 years in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"