Teens arrested in London preschool ransomware attack

"In a very aggressive - and disgusting - attempt to extort a ransom payment from Kido, the criminals published profiles of 10 children, including photos, names, and home addresses, along with their parents' contact details and in some cases places of work, threatening to expose more if the ransom demand wasn't met. A new crime crew calling itself the Radiant Group claimed responsibility for the attack, and posted the preschool's name, along with its pupils' profiles, as the first leak on its dark web site. The ransomware gang later deleted the kids' and parents' data, apparently under pressure from other criminals - but not before some of the parents reported receiving threatening calls."

"We understand reports of this nature can cause considerable concern, especially to those parents and carers who may be worried about the impact of such an incident on them and their families," Met's head of economic and cybercrime Will Lyne said in a statement. "We want to reassure the community and anyone affected that this matter continues to be taken extremely seriously," Lyne continued. "These arrests are a significant step forward in our investigation, but our work continues, alongside our partners, to ensure those responsible are brought to justice."

Two 17-year-olds were arrested during an operation in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail linked to a September 25 ransomware referral. The digital break-in coincides with a breach at Kido International, where criminals published profiles of 10 children including photos, names, home addresses, and parents' contact and workplace details while demanding a ransom. A group calling itself the Radiant Group claimed responsibility and posted the initial leak on a dark web site. The gang later deleted the data, reportedly under pressure from other criminals, but some parents received threatening calls. The Metropolitan Police say the investigation continues and the arrests are a significant step forward.

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