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The names, pictures and addresses of about 8,000 children have reportedly been stolen from the Kido nursery chain by a gang of cybercriminals.
The criminals have demanded a ransom from the company – which has 18 sites around London, with more in the US, India and China – according to the BBC.
The hackers have claimed they also possess information about the children’s parents and carers, as well as safeguarding notes, and have contacted some by phone as part of their extortion tactics.
Kido was contacted for comment. The company has yet to confirm the hackers’ claims. The company has not released a public statement nor confirmed the hackers’ claims.
An employee at one of the nurseries told the BBC they had been notified of a data breach.
The Metropolitan police said they had received a referral on Thursday “following reports of a ransomware attack on a London-based organisation”. They added: “Enquiries are ongoing and remain in the early stages within the Met’s cyber crime unit. No arrests have been made.”
A spokesperson from the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “Kido International has reported an incident to us and we are assessing the information provided.”
A number of companies have been subjected to cyber-attacks in recent months. The Co-op said it had fallen into the red after it suffered an £80m hit to profits as a result of an attempted hack in April.
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JLR, the maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars, has not been able to assemble cars since the start of the month after cyber-attackers penetrated its computer systems.
The company was forced to shut down most of the computer systems it uses to track parts, vehicles and tooling in its factories, as well as everything to do with selling its luxury Range Rover, Discovery and Defender SUVs.
The company has restarted a limited number of computer systems.
