A North Carolina contractor, 27-year-old Cameron Curry, was found guilty of extorting Brightly Software (formerly SchoolDude) by stealing payroll and corporate data and threatening to leak employees’ PII unless paid $2.5 million. Brightly paid $7,540 in Bitcoin, reported the incident leading to an FBI search and Curry’s indictment, and the company had previously disclosed an unrelated April 2023 breach that affected nearly 3 million SchoolDude users. #BrightlySoftware #CameronCurry
Keypoints
- A contractor data analyst abused his access to steal sensitive Brightly payroll and corporate data.
- Cameron Curry sent over 60 extortion emails demanding $2.5 million and threatening SEC disclosure.
- Extortion messages included screenshots of employee PII such as dates of birth, addresses, and compensation.
- Brightly paid $7,540 in Bitcoin, the FBI executed a search warrant, and electronic evidence was seized.
- Curry faces up to 12 years in prison, and Brightly had an earlier April 2023 breach impacting nearly 3 million SchoolDude users.