FW: [ISN] School officials: 13-year-old hacker wiped out school records from computer system

[Howell, Paul]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-isn@attrition.org 
> [mailto:owner-isn@attrition.org] On Behalf Of InfoSec News
> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 2:04 AM
> To: isn@attrition.org
> Subject: [ISN] School officials: 13-year-old hacker wiped out 
> school records from computer system 
> 
> 
> http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11111924&BR
> D=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6
> 
> MICHAEL C. FITZPATRICK 
> Morning Journal Writer  
> 03/11/2004 
>  
> NORTH RIDGEVILLE -- A middle school student hacked into a server that 
> stored records for a computerized student reading program and deleted 
> the files sometime last week, according to North Ridgeville schools 
> Superintendent Larry Bowersox. 
> 
> The 13-year-old boy is currently serving a 10-day suspension and 
> school officials were expected to meet with his parents today to 
> determine if he would be expelled, according to school officials.
> 
> ''This student made a conscious choice and willfully destroyed 
> property. That's vandalism, that's a serious act and that's something 
> we can't tolerate,'' said Bowersox.
> 
> The files deleted were associated with a reading program called 
> Accelerated Reader, Bowersox said. The files destroyed ''document and 
> store student progress'' in the reading program, Bowersox said.
> 
> No confidential student information was deleted, Bowersox said. He 
> said that information is stored on a different server.
> 
> The district is also looking into whether other students were 
> involved 
> in the hacking, school officials said.
> 
> Bowersox declined to give any information about the student, 
> saying he 
> would be in violation of student confidentiality laws.
> 
> Bowersox said the number of files deleted numbered in ''the 
> hundreds.''
> 
> Principal John Komperda told the Associated Press that a substitute 
> teacher allowed the eighth-grader to use a classroom computer after 
> completing an assignment on March 2. 
> 
> Bowersox said the problem was detected Thursday when students were 
> unable to retrieve their own reading files.
> 
> Students and their parents in the North Ridgeville schools are 
> required to sign an ''acceptable use'' form to use the computers, 
> Bowersox said.
> 
> Bowersox said the investigation is ongoing and the school is 
> examining 
> how its servers are safeguarded.
> 
> ''We had used the normal safeguards that are built into that program 
> but as a result of this incident we are looking into developing 
> additional safeguards, passwords or whatever we need to protect that 
> information,'' said Bowersox.
>  
> 
> 
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