Edison Learning public school struck by the Royal ransomware

The notorious Royal ransomware group has claimed the data breach attack on Edison Learning. The public school management and virtual learning provider organisation experienced the breach last month.

The group posted the entity on its dark web data leak site and claimed it had stolen about 20GB of information. The ransomware gang has also threatened the company to leak the stolen data, which includes the personal information of students and employees, in the early days of next week.

Researchers believe the group has already provided a ransom demand since it typically warns its target before leaking a stolen database. Moreover, the academic institution may have been already engaged in the negotiation with the group.

 

Edison Learning confirmed the breach but did not admit the claim of Royal ransomware.

 

The affected entity confirmed the cybersecurity incident after the news broke out, but it did not verify the claims of the Royal ransomware group. The company claimed their investigation did not see evidence of compromise against their student data.

Edison Learning started in 1992 as the Edison Project, provides school management services for public charter schools and struggling districts in the UK and the US.

A recent tally shows that the educational institution has managed hundreds of academic institutions in more than 30 states, providing help to millions of students for the past years. The company has also provided education for over 400,000 children in 25 states, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates during the 2009-2019 school year.

The company has expanded its scope to give virtual education to middle and high school students. They also offered CTE courses for high school students and social-emotional learning courses for middle and high school.

The breach incident on Edison Learning could develop in the following days and will show results after the malicious actors’ next move. Security researchers believe that if the ransomware group does not proceed with leaking the data, Edison Learning may have provided the ransom demands.