Fondation de Verdeil

The Fondation de Verdeil is a Swiss special education foundation headquartered in the canton of Vaud, operating as the largest special pedagogical institution in that region. It provides educational and supportive services for children and young people with special educational needs, serving a significant local student population. As a foundation, it functions as an independent legal entity, likely non-profit, dedicated to its specific educational mission without indicated parent or subsidiary corporate relationships. Its operational scale is defined by its position as the foremost provider of its kind within Vaud, establishing a notable footprint in the canton's specialized education sector.

In August 2023, the organization experienced a severe ransomware attack attributed to the NoEscape group, which resulted in the theft and subsequent dark web publication of highly sensitive data. This compromised information included medical and insurance documents as well as hundreds of photographs of children under its care, representing a profound breach of trust involving its most vulnerable stakeholders. The foundation publicly confirmed it refused to pay the demanded ransom and instead focused on implementing enhanced security measures to protect its systems. Despite the attack's severity and the public exposure of private data, the foundation maintained operational continuity, ensuring that educational and care services for its students and staff were not disrupted. This incident underscores the critical data security challenges faced by institutions handling sensitive personal information, particularly within the education and social care sectors. The foundation's decision not to negotiate with the attackers and its commitment to sustaining core services during the crisis are key aspects of its documented response to a significant cybersecurity event.