UK police arrest two teenagers suspected of the nursery hack and ransom that saw images and the information of 20 toddlers posted to the dark web

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"We welcome this swift action from the Met Police," said a spokesperson.

A toddler's hands play with some wooden blocks.
(Image credit: Mrs via Getty Images)

In late September, news broke about one of the most amoral cyberattacks you'll ever hear of. A group calling itself Radiant hacked a software provider called Famly and used this to access data from a UK-based nursery chain, Kido, then began posting information and pictures of literal toddlers on a dark web site. It demanded a ransom lest it post more information and pictures of other children.

The BBC now reports that two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in Hertfordshire by police investigating the hack. The police say both were arrested at home on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail.

Computer code reflected in glasses arranged in Danbury, U.K., on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. In the spring, hackers managed to insert malicious code into a software product from an IT provider called SolarWinds Corp., whose client list includes 300,000 institutions. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In total 20 childrens' pictures and information were posted online. However as the hack attracted public attention the reaction was one of universal disgust, "a truly barbaric new low" as the boss of Famly put it, and the hackers were clearly taken aback. First the group blurred the images they'd posted, before on 2 October removing all the data from their darknet site and claiming they'd deleted all 8,000 childrens' files.

"This is more about pragmatism than morality," said cybersecurity expert Jen Ellis. "These criminals are clearly shocked and worried by the attention their hack has caused and they are trying to protect themselves or their brand."

"We welcome this swift action from the Met Police and recognise this is an important milestone in the process of bringing those responsible to justice," a Kido spokesperson said. "We have cooperated throughout this process with law enforcement and the relevant authorities. We remain committed to supporting police and, importantly, families, colleagues, and the wider Kido community."

The pair remain in custody for questioning, and are yet to be charged.

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Rich Stanton
Rich Stanton
Senior Editor

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

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