PowerSchool hacker sentenced to 4 years in prison

A 19-year-old Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty to hacking the educational technology company PowerSchool was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday.

Matthew Lane, who demanded a ransom of $2.9 million from PowerSchool in exchange for not leaking personal data belonging to more than 70 million people, also was ordered to pay about $14 million in restitution and a $25,000 fine, according to court filings.

The hack and its aftermath cost PowerSchool more than $14 million, including the expense of identity theft monitoring for victims. Prosecutors had sought a seven-year sentence. 

Prosecutors told the judge that Lane acted out of greed and had a long history of hacking.

Personal data, including Social Security numbers, special education status and medical conditions for more than 60 million students and 9 million teachers, were exposed in the hack, which became public in January.