Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with a cyber-attack on a chain of nurseries in Greater London. The teenagers were detained on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail following a police raid on residential properties in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the pair remain in custody for questioning. The arrest follows an incident in September when hackers stole the names, pictures and addresses of around 8,000 children from the Kido nursery chain. The profiles of 10 children were posted online, and the attackers threatened to release more material unless a ransom was paid.
Will Lyne, the Met’s head of economic and cybercrime, said: “Since these attacks took place, specialist Met investigators have been working at pace to identify those responsible. 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.”
Kido, which runs 18 sites across London, told parents that the breach occurred when criminals accessed data hosted by Famly, a software service widely used by nurseries to share photos and information with parents. However, Anders Laustsen, chief executive of Famly, stated: “We have conducted a thorough investigation of the incident and can confirm that there has been no breach of Famly’s security or infrastructure in any way and no other customers have been affected.”
