LOS ANGELES — A criminal syndicate has set a Monday deadline for the Los Angeles public school system to pay a ransom or have its data released on the dark web, which could potentially expose the confidential information of students and employees.
In response, L.A. Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Friday that the district would not pay the ransom and would not negotiate, following the advice of law enforcement and federal officials.
The deadline was posted on the dark web site maintained by Vice Society, which had informally confirmed to at least three reporters that it was responsible for the hack that L.A. Unified uncovered while it was in progress on Sept. 3, during the Labor Day weekend when most district employees were off work for four days.
