High school students hack system to change grades, attendance

guest · Mar 14, 2019

High school students hack system to change grades, attendance
March 13, 2019
https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon...-hack-system-to-change-grades-attendance.html

Students of Orchard View Schools hacked the district’s student information system and made changes to grades and attendance, according to a statement.
The district became aware of the hacking on Friday, March 8, and immediately began an internal investigation, he said. The investigation is ongoing. He declined to say whether law enforcement is involved.

During the investigation, the district found that “unauthorized changes” had been made to grades and attendance, according to the statement released on social media and the district website.
Nielsen declined to say how the district was notified of the breach or how many students have been found to be part of it so far.
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https://www.facebook.com/orchardview.org/posts/2624756720928878

guest · Mar 22, 2019

Teens hacked school computers to change grades, but they failed
March 22, 2019
https://www.nj.com/union/2019/03/te...omputers-to-change-grades-and-got-caught.html

Several high school students are in hot water after they were able to log into their schools’ computer systems to change grades and attendance records.

“Unfortunately, a number of our students have made some poor choices by participating, to varying degrees, in compromising our student information system to manipulate attendance and classroom grades,” a letter from the district’s Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer read.
The first student involved was able to gain access to the system by stealing a teacher’s password, district spokesman Pat Politano told NJ Advance Media. About six students accessed attendance records, and two unsuccessfully tried to change grades, he said.

“The district has and is continuing to increase technological security by changing and increasing the complexity of passwords to its system and other security measures,” Politano said.
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guest · Mar 29, 2019

Due Process for Alleged Student Hacker?
Tufts University recently expelled a student for allegedly hacking grades, but did the university make the right call?
March 29, 2019
https://www.insidehighered.com/news...esponse-tufts-possible-incident-grade-hacking

Just four months before she was due to graduate, Tiffany Filler was expelled from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
Leaders at Tufts say Filler hacked into university systems and changed her grades. Filler says she has proof she didn’t do it.

Tufts is standing by its decision. But an article recently published by TechCrunch identified possible holes in the university's investigation. A petition demanding fair treatment for Filler has since been signed by hundreds of Tufts students and alumni.
The best way to determine what really happened would be to bring in outside experts with digital forensics expertise, said Rajewski. But he acknowledged this could quickly become a very expensive undertaking.

It’s difficult for security staff to discern whether changes to student grades are legitimate or not, said Judy.
A key defense against grade hacking is log-in systems with two-step authentication processes, said Judy. But it might be a good idea for faculty to occasionally check that the grades they have assigned students have remained unaltered, much like financial information may be subject to audits.
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guest · Apr 4, 2019

Freshmen hack high school WiFi to avoid a test
April 3, 2019
https://www.scmagazine.com/home/sec...eshmen-hack-high-school-wifi-to-avoid-a-test/

Two Secaucus, N.J., high school freshmen have been accused of allegedly knocking their school’s WiFi system offline possibly using a malware as a service deal to create the situation.

The two 14-year-old boys were arrested last week and charged with computer criminal activity and conspiracy to commit computer criminal activity, according to CBS New York. School officials confirmed to CBS the WiFi system was down and although the details on how this was accomplished are not known, police said the students may have hired an outside “company” to perform the attack.

The students allegedly disabled the system so they would not have to take a test.
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carla4cs · May 28, 2019

mood said: ↑

Freshmen hack high school WiFi to avoid a test
April 3, 2019
https://www.scmagazine.com/home/sec...eshmen-hack-high-school-wifi-to-avoid-a-test/
Click to expand...

While these threat actors were not motivated by financial gain or political or ideological beliefs but instead by the desire to avoid taking exams, they nonetheless exposed and exploited a vulnerability in the school's business critical system by disabling the school's WiFi. School operations were interrupted as students and teachers were unable to access the internet, lessons that relied on the internet could not be taught, and testing could not be administered.

guest · May 30, 2019

What a teen grade hacker’s confession can teach us
May 30, 2019
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/05/30/what-a-teen-grade-hackers-confession-can-teach-us/

It’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry at a new column that Motherboard’s Vice started earlier this month.
Presuming that these stories are true confessionals and not just made up for the lulz, the most recent column could have been titled “I made money hacking my teacher’s computer to change grades. It wasn’t particularly legal, but it was fun.”

The hackers were generally subtle in their grade boosts, and they were likewise modest in the cost they charged their fellow students, as in, $20. They made between $500 and $600 the first year. The columnist said the hackers “didn’t want to rip people off.”
Kids these days
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this hackers training manual is that people are generally oblivious to what some kids can do, the hacker said:

IT administrators really underestimate what students can actually do.
And rest assured the kids at the school aren’t the only ones looking to profit from the alleged security holes. If they could find their way in and around the school network, what chance somebody from outside the school could too?
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guest · Jun 24, 2019

Grade Hacking Services And Fake Diplomas Easily Available Online During Exam Season
June 24, 2019
https://www.informationsecuritybuzz...s-easily-available-online-during-exam-season/

Reports of young people breaking into school systems to change grades, improve attendance records or disrupt test processes are not new, and nor is the availability of fake certificates and diplomas.
Over the years, a thriving underground industry has grown up to facilitate cheating when it comes to academic achievements. This includes discussion fora and how-to guides and videos. Kaspersky researchers decided to take a closer look at such education fraud.

A single online search on June 12 immediately revealed a supplier of grade hacking services and fake diplomas, with an easy-to-follow order form enabling the customer to select the subject, level of degree and issuing institution of their choice. School certificates covering a long list of subjects were also available.

“As education becomes more digital and connected, the information systems that support learning provide new opportunities for even moderately skilled hackers, and if you don’t want to do it yourself you can find a hacking service online to do it for you. [...]"
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Kaspersky: Dark web schooling

guest · Aug 3, 2019

Riverside student accused of hacking school computer, changing grades
August 2, 2019
https://www.pe.com/2019/08/02/riverside-student-accused-of-hacking-school-computer-changing-grades/

A 15-year-old high school student could face a felony charge after he tricked teachers into providing their computer login information and then changed grades — his for the better and others’ for the worse — according to Riverside police.

The ruse, known as “spearphishing,” is increasingly common, said the investigator on the case, Riverside police economic crimes Detective Brian Money. Computer users need to have their guard up to avoid being victimized, he said.
The student is not being publicly identified because he is a minor. Money declined to identify the school, but it is believed to be Encore Junior/Senior High School for the Arts in downtown Riverside.

The teen created an email account that made it appear that his emails were coming from a high-ranking member of the school’s administration, Money said. The emails requested four teachers’ usernames and passwords for school computers.

“It’s relying on the fact that folks may not check or scrutinize when a suspicious request is made,” Money said.
But the recipients apparently did not check in this case, Money said, so they forwarded their login information to the student. The student entered the school computer and altered his grades.
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guest · Nov 28, 2019

mood said: ↑

Freshmen hack high school WiFi to avoid a test
April 3, 2019
https://www.scmagazine.com/home/sec...eshmen-hack-high-school-wifi-to-avoid-a-test/
Click to expand...

similar case:
Baker Co. student could face felony for reportedly hacking school's WiFi to avoid doing school work
November 25, 2019
http://firstcoastnews.com/article/n...-work/77-046439b4-e8c8-4b95-b847-ea0d455c91a3

A 12-year-old student could face a felony charge after reportedly hacking into the Baker County Middle School's WiFi about two weeks ago, all because the student didn't want to do school work.

On Nov. 13, the student used a school-issued laptop to get the school’s IP address. Using another student’s cell phone, the student then shut down the internet and phone lines for the school, according to the incident report.
The bell system to release students from class was also disabled while security systems at the front door weren't working properly, authorities said.
The student has not been officially charged but could face a third-degree felony for disrupting a computer system they did not have permission to access.
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guest · Dec 19, 2019

Saudi hacker gives 19 students full grades, faces jail and millions in fine
December 19, 2019
https://stepfeed.com/saudi-hacker-gives-19-students-full-grades-faces-jail-and-millions-in-fine-7234

A Saudi student hacked into his university's system to change his classmates' grades and is now facing legal trouble in the kingdom.

This week, the country's public prosecution recommended the young man receives a four-year jail sentence and a 3-million Saudi riyal fine ($799,804). The defendant, who studies at the King Faisal University in Hofuf, is said to have upgraded 19 students' scores to 199 points following successful hacking attempts.
During his interrogation, the defendant said he hacked into accounts to help students out and had no intention of causing any harm.

The defendant admitted he was able to access the college's system from a location close to the campus' Gate (4). He then connected to the building's Wi-Fi and accessed student data using a staff member's ID and password.
The case sparked a social media meltdown
Others commended the student's hacking skills and thought they should be redirected and used in more positive ventures. Opposition criticized this rhetoric, with a few arguing that since he committed a crime, he should be punished.
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guest · Feb 14, 2020

Students used trojan to erase absences from school system
10 risk 1-4 yrs in jail, all minors at time of alleged offence
February 14, 2020
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/202...tem_1877f149-fefb-4c8b-8395-0d8ead4277af.html

Ten young people have been put under investigation for allegedly hacking the computer system of a school in the Tuscan city of Grosseto to erase their absences from the electronic class register, Il Tirreno reported on Friday. The school noticed the alleged hacking, which allegedly featured the use of a trojan horse to obtain teachers' passwords, in March 2019 and notified the postal police.

As a result a prosecutor at a court for minors has notified the suspects that an investigation involving them has been completed - a step that usually comes before a request for an indictment.
The 10, who were all minors at the time of the alleged wrongdoing, risk prison terms of between one and four years.
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guest · Feb 23, 2020

Spencer County student writes code to hack into online learning program, boost grades
February 21, 2020
https://www.wlky.com/article/spence...online-learning-program-boost-grades/31048622

About a dozen Spencer County High School students have been disciplined after one student admitted to hacking into an online learning program.

Principal Stephen Webb said about three weeks ago, an English teacher noticed irregularities in some students' scores on the Reading Plus program. The program assesses reading proficiency and designs lessons and tests based on fluency.

"Assignments that normally took 15, 20 minutes were being done in significantly shorter amounts of time and they were getting very good scores," Webb said.
"He wrote a short piece of computer code that was able to reveal the answers on the screen," he said.

Webb said around a dozen students were disciplined based on their level of participation. Any grades earned as a result of the workaround were thrown out and students had to redo the assignments. But because the school can't identify every student who used the hack, some of those grades may still stand.
The school contacted the software developer for Reading Plus and alerted them to the vulnerability in the program.
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