Canada: Toronto School Board Receives New Ransom Demand

Victim of a data breach in December 2024, education technology giant PowerSchool had already paid cybercriminals once.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) announced on May 7, 2025, that a cybercriminal group had sent them a ransom demand. The gang threatens to leak data stolen from PowerSchool, a leading education technology company, in December 2024. At that time, PowerSchool chose to pay the ransom and received a video showing the cybercriminals deleting the stolen information.

In a letter to parents and staff, Clayton La Touche, TDSB’s Director of Education, reminded that there remains “a risk that the threat actors may not honor their commitment to delete the stolen data, despite assurances given to PowerSchool.” According to a source close to the case, hackers have contacted four other school boards with similar ransom demands.

TDSB currently serves about 235,000 students across 582 schools. Some of the stolen data are particularly sensitive, including names, dates of birth, postal and email addresses, social security numbers, special education accommodations, medical information, residency status, and disciplinary records.