Cyber Threat Intelligence
CTI Academy Sponsor CTI Academy
TH
Ransomware Victim Education

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School

Ransomware attack by Worldleaks · Disclosed December 9, 2025 · 🇺🇸 United States

www.whschool.org

Date Disclosed
Dec 9, 2025
2025
Threat Group
Worldleaks
177 total victims
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Industry
Education

ThreatAI Analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Worldleaks. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

About the Worldleaks group

World Leaks emerged in January 2025 as a rebrand of the Hunters International ransomware operation, shifting its focus from file encryption to solely stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it unless a ransom is paid Worldleaks has listed 174 victims since June 2022.

Incident Analysis

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School was targeted by Worldleaks ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 177 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on December 9, 2025, when The Wardlaw-Hartridge School appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School is based in United States , operating in the Education sector. United States ranks #1 globally for ransomware attacks, with 9,556 victims in our database.

Sector context: Educational institutions often have under-resourced IT security teams and hold large amounts of student and faculty personal data, making them attractive targets for ransomware groups.

Worldleaks typically employs a double extortion model: first exfiltrating sensitive data from the victim's systems, then deploying ransomware to encrypt files. Victims face two simultaneous threats — paying to restore access and paying to prevent publication of stolen data. The group's leak site publishes victim names and exfiltrated data as leverage.

Data source: This incident record is sourced from public ransomware group leak site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. Disclosure date reflects when the victim was published on the leak site, which may differ from the initial date of compromise. This platform does not publish or link to stolen data. Last data update: Sep 22, 2026 06:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was The Wardlaw-Hartridge School attacked by ransomware?

Yes. The Wardlaw-Hartridge School was listed as a victim of the Worldleaks ransomware group on December 9, 2025. The organisation is based in United States and operates in the Education sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked The Wardlaw-Hartridge School?

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School was attacked by Worldleaks ransomware. Worldleaks is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 177 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the The Wardlaw-Hartridge School ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on The Wardlaw-Hartridge School was disclosed on December 9, 2025. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the The Wardlaw-Hartridge School ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from The Wardlaw-Hartridge School has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Education organisation, The Wardlaw-Hartridge School likely held student and faculty personal data and academic records.

How can organisations protect against Worldleaks attacks?

To defend against Worldleaks and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.