For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Contact: Ben Conroy
(984) 383-9038
RALEIGH – Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson provided an update about his ongoing investigation into PowerSchool’s 2024 data breach. The U.S. Department of Justice charged 19-year-old Massachusetts college student Matthew Lane with hacking PowerSchool’s system and facilitating the 2024 data breach that potentially exposed the private information of millions of North Carolina teachers, students, and parents. Lane entered a plea deal with the federal government on Tuesday.
“This hacker compromised the personal data of millions of people in our state and I’m glad to see he is being brought to justice,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “I thank the prosecutors for the U.S. Department of Justice for their work to track this criminal down. My office will continue its investigation into PowerSchool’s role in this event.”
Lane is pleading guilty to cyber extortion conspiracy, cyber extortion, unauthorized access to protected computers, and aggravated identity theft.
Students and staff affected by the data breach have until July 31, 2025, to enroll in free identity protection and credit monitoring here. You can also find out more about setting up a free security freeze here.
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