From a school system email:
PowerSchool has informed us that they have taken action with the hackers to ensure the unauthorized data was deleted without any further replication or dissemination. They do not anticipate any of the data being shared or made public and are working with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to ensure ongoing data safety. PowerSchool indicated they will be providing credit monitoring to affected adults and identity protection services to affected minors in accordance with regulatory obligations.
I had the same thought. What’s stopping a new party from riding the clout of a “reputable” hacker?
There is a whole ecosystem at work where hackers can trade tools, collaborate, announce successes and confirm they are behind a breach.
The ransomware system relies on the majority of actors following through on their part of the bargain or no one would ever pay a ransom.
There are many parallels to how the majority of real world piracy was conducted.