Image by Mx. Granger, from Wikimedia Commons
Education Giant Pearson Hacked, Exposing Customer Data
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Pearson confirmed a cyberattack that exposed customer information and internal data, after attackers accessed its systems through an exposed developer token.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Pearson confirmed a cyberattack exposed customer data and internal systems.
- Hackers exploited a GitLab token found in a public config file.
- Stolen data includes customer details, financials, and internal source code.
Pearson, one of the world’s largest education companies, confirmed it was hit by a cyberattack that exposed customer information and internal data, as first reported by BleepingComputer.
The UK-based giant, known for textbooks, digital tools, and exams in over 70 countries, admitted the breach to Bleeping Computer .
“We recently discovered that an unauthorized actor gained access to a portion of our systems,” a Pearson spokesperson said to Bleeping Computer. “Once we identified the activity, we took steps to stop it and investigate what happened and what data was affected with forensics experts.”
The company said the stolen information was mostly “legacy data” and did not include employee records. Pearson added, “We also supported law enforcement’s investigation” and have since strengthened their system security and monitoring tools, as reported by Bleeping Computer.
The breach reportedly started in January 2025 after hackers found a GitLab Personal Access Token (PAT) in a public file. This token, used by Pearson developers, gave attackers access to the company’s internal source code. That code included more passwords and tokens for cloud services.
Using these, the hackers reportedly stole terabytes of data from Pearson’s systems and cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, Snowflake, and Salesforce. The stolen information allegedly includes customer details, financial data, help desk tickets, and more.
Bleeping Computer reports that Pearson declined to answer questions about whether they paid a ransom, the exact meaning of “legacy data,” how many people were affected, or if they planned to notify customers.
While Pearson has not confirmed how many users were impacted, the breach comes at a critical moment for education systems worldwide. Countries like the UAE, China , and the U.S. are rapidly integrating AI into school curriculums. The UAE, for example, plans to teach AI in all public schools starting in 2025 .
This global shift raises the stakes for cybersecurity. AI systems used in education often handle vast amounts of personal and behavioral data.
If breached, these systems could expose not just student information but also the algorithms guiding how students learn, how teachers assess, and how decisions are made about academic performance.
Image by Stijn Swinnen, from Unsplash
Nerve Stimulation Therapy Offers Durable PTSD Symptom Reduction
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A clinical trial demonstrates that vagus nerve stimulation, when combined with exposure therapy, effectively mitigates PTSD symptoms in treatment-resistant patients.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with therapy significantly mitigated PTSD symptomatology in resistant cases.
- Miniaturized device yielded fewer adverse events compared to standard systems.
- Study participants reported high satisfaction and minimal issues with the implanted device.
A new study has shown promising results for a novel treatment that combines vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with prolonged exposure (PE) therapy to help people with severe, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The study, which is the largest clinical trial to date using an implanted device for PTSD treatment, found that this paired approach not only proved safe and feasible but also delivered long-lasting, clinically meaningful improvements in PTSD symptoms.
The miniaturized VNS system (about 50 times smaller than conventional implants) was activated during therapy sessions, sending brief electrical pulses to the brain to enhance the effects of exposure therapy.
Among the nine participants, all of whom had not responded to other treatments, PTSD symptoms such as anxiety, hyperarousal, and social withdrawal were significantly reduced, and none met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after 12 sessions. Improvements lasted at least six months beyond the end of therapy.
Researchers attribute the effectiveness of this approach to its ability to enhance synaptic plasticity in fear-processing networks.
Although some mild side effects such as nausea and poor sleep were reported, no serious adverse events occurred, and most participants expressed satisfaction with the treatment. The device can also be removed post-therapy if desired.
While non-invasive alternatives to VNS exist, they have shown limited effectiveness. Importantly, this study was open-label and lacked a placebo group, making a future double-blind, randomized controlled trial essential to confirm the findings.
Nevertheless, the results provide a compelling case for VNS as a powerful tool for enhancing recovery in patients with chronic PTSD who have few remaining options.
