LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Hackers have released data stolen in a cyberattack against the Los Angeles Unified School District, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho confirmed Sunday.
“Unfortunately, as expected, a criminal organization recently released data,” Carvalho said in a statement. “In cooperation with law enforcement, our experts are analyzing the full scope of this data release.”
The data was released on Saturday, two days ahead of a deadline previously given by the hackers, following Carvalho’s stated refusal to pay a ransom to an international hacking syndicate.
The group claiming the cyber attack had previously set a deadline for the district to pay a ransom to the organization.
In a dark web post spotted and reprinted by Brett Callow of cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, the hacking syndicate Vice Society listed the LAUSD as one of “our partners” and stated, “Articles will be published in due course from London on October 4, 2022. at 12:00pm”
The release gave no indication of what information had been obtained or what would be released.
Carvalho previously acknowledged that the district received a ransom demand from the group responsible for the Labor Day weekend hack, which he declined to name.
“We can acknowledge … that there has been communication from this actor (hacker) and we have been sensitive without engaging in any kind of negotiation,” he told reporters. “That said, we can acknowledge at this time … that this entity has made a financial demand. We have not responded to that demand.”
He did not provide details about the lawsuit.
Carvalho told the Los Angeles Times on Friday that the district would not pay the ransom demand or negotiate with the hackers.
“What I can tell you is that the lawsuit, any lawsuit, would be absurd,” he told the Times. “But this level of demand was, frankly, insulting. And we are not about to enter into negotiations with these types of entities.”
A hotline will be available starting Monday at 6:00 a.m
“This hotline will help those in our school communities who may have questions or need additional support,” Carvalho said.
The phone number for the Incident Response Hotline is (855) 926-1129. Hours of operation will be 6:00 am to 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays.
The City News Service contributed to this report.
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