14-year-old changes teacher's desktop background. Gets felony charges.

[smackababy]

you don't need a budget to know setting your last name as a password if a bad fing idea

shit, there are free password generators out there and im pretty sure one of them in built into windows

It is likely, the IT set up the password as an initial one and did not force teachers to change it.

Users are dumb in 99% of cases. Just the other day, we launched our new system that used the password for your Windows account and we got numerous emails from users saying "I can't log into the system using <username> and <password for different systems>, please help." This wasn't just to a couple people either, it was to our entire group mailbox.

 

[Strk]

Get suspended/expelled? Sure, he keeps doing the same wrong thing. But charge him with a crime? That's ridiculous.

 

[smackababy]

Get suspended/expelled? Sure, he keeps doing the same wrong thing. But charge him with a crime? That's ridiculous.

He committed a crime. He illegally accessed a "secure" system, multiple times. Even after being punished for doing it, he did it again.

 

[Jeraden]

If I accidentally leave my car door open with my keys in the ignition and someone steals the car should he/she be charged with Grand Theft Auto?

But in this case that's not what he did. Going with your analogy, the kid went into your car and turned your radio volume all the way up, so when you turned the radio on it would blast loudly. In other words, a prank.

 

[smackababy]

But in this case that's not what he did. Going with your analogy, the kid went into your car and turned your radio volume all the way up, so when you turned the radio on it would blast loudly. In other words, a prank.

For his analogy to be correct, the kid would have to have a copy of the key, entered his locked vehicle, and do that. That is breaking and entering or trespassing AT best, which, as it turns out, is against the law.

 

[Jeff7]

Seems rather excessive, but I understand the need to punish for accessing very sensitive information.

Reality is, this 8th grader broke into the "ultra secure" terminals that the school or district paid some IT jerk to set up.

Suspend the kid, then give him a medal/recruit him or encourage him to set up a hacking club or some crap at school to keep himself and other nerds happy while honing their skills towards positive ends.

Also, IT jerk(s) should be fired, or at least punished equally.

I don't know if this is "hacking" or "skills." He used 1-2-3-4-5 as a combination to a lock.



Felony charges against a 14-year-old though, for this?

An eighth grader did something stupid? THROW HIM IN JAIL.

For-profit prisons won't fill themselves.

 

[edro]

The school handled it just fine.
No need to cops to get involved.

I hope the district attorney get's chastised in court for wasting everyone's time.
I also hope they lose their job and end up living in a van by the river.

 

[Jaskalas]

Felony charges against a 14-year-old though, for this?

Federal government is ever growing. Just taking a piss is a felony charge these days.

 

[zinfamous]

I don't know if this is "hacking" or "skills." He used 1-2-3-4-5 as a combination to a lock.

Several of you are under the impression that I actually read the article...

 

[BoberFett]

I don't know if this is "hacking" or "skills." He used 1-2-3-4-5 as a combination to a lock.

Whoa, I should probably change the combination on my luggage.

 

[DesiPower]

Since the school lost the ability to discipline students, except for suspending them, they have no other option besides calling the cops. But not changing the password is also stupid, its like baiting the students...

 

[master_shake_]

just be happy he didn't bite a pop tart in to the shape of a gun.

he'd have been shot on site.

 

[MarkXIX]

What pisses me off is the statement "Even though some might say this is just a teenage prank, who knows what this teenager might have done," Nocco said. Let's apply that to a guy just carrying a gun or a person with a steak knife in their hand at a steak house, or....or....

Yeah, who fucking knows what he COULD have done? The issue is, he DIDN'T but he's getting brought up on charges like he did EVERY POSSIBLE THING HE COULD HAVE DONE. This is part of the problem with our police in this country today. The senior management of most organizations are a bunch of fucking morons.

GAH! I hate this shit. I hope he gets a good lawyer and crushes these assholes. This is criminal mischief at best, not some international cybercrime.

 

[TheVrolok]

Absolutely ridiculous that he would receive legal repercussions.

 

[Printer Bandit]

kid needs a gofundme.

 

[smackababy]

What pisses me off is the statement "Even though some might say this is just a teenage prank, who knows what this teenager might have done," Nocco said. Let's apply that to a guy just carrying a gun or a person with a steak knife in their hand at a steak house, or....or....

Yeah, who fucking knows what he COULD have done? The issue is, he DIDN'T but he's getting brought up on charges like he did EVERY POSSIBLE THING HE COULD HAVE DONE. This is part of the problem with our police in this country today. The senior management of most organizations are a bunch of fucking morons.

GAH! I hate this shit. I hope he gets a good lawyer and crushes these assholes. This is criminal mischief at best, not some international cybercrime.

He was charged for unauthorized access to the computer system. If the fact that is a felony is an issue, bitch about the state government making it such, not the police for enforcing it. Should we say "Oh, well certain felonies are only felonies if the person is over a certain age"?

The kid broke a law MULTIPLE fucking times. He was told "Hey! Don't do that shit again." He did it again and the police got involved. This is no different than a kid going to a joy ride in a neighbors car, getting caught and told by the neighbor "stop fucking doing that", the kid doing it again and getting busted for stealing the vehicle.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Passwords need to go away. They were never a good solution.

Sure beats fingerprints or anything bio. You can't change that stuff. Passwords can be changed.

 

[blackdogdeek]

But in this case that's not what he did. Going with your analogy, the kid went into your car and turned your radio volume all the way up, so when you turned the radio on it would blast loudly. In other words, a prank.

The point I'm trying to make is if there is a law against unauthorized access of the school's network, it doesn't matter how easy it is to access that network. He still broke the law.

 

[BoberFett]

Sure beats fingerprints or anything bio. You can't change that stuff. Passwords can be changed.

A good security system would use two factor authentication. Something you have plus something you know.

Phone + password
Fingerprint + password
Fob + password

 

[Ns1]

A good security system would use two factor authentication. Something you have plus something you know.

Phone + password
Fingerprint + password
Fob + password

lol @ school districts with 2 factor auth

 

[Printer Bandit]

imagine getting into a school computer that shows all the grades

and having the ability to change them.

then waking up from the dream cause you got a boner.

 

[BoberFett]

lol @ school districts with 2 factor auth

Aw, aren't you adorable. Now run along and play with the other kids in the sandbox.

 

[Ns1]

Aw, aren't you adorable. Now run along and play with the other kids in the sandbox.

yay recess

 

[who?]

If I accidentally leave my car door open with my keys in the ignition and someone steals the car should he/she be charged with Grand Theft Auto?

The TV show "Bait Car" shows cops leaving cars with the keys in the ignition and when somebody takes them they use tracking equipment to follow them, lock the doors and shut the car off by remote control and arrest the perpetrators for auto theft. They make it look like people were arguing and all got into one of the cars and left or a patrol cop pulls over an undercover "arrests" the undercover and they leave the bait car with the keys in it.

 

[Ns1]

If I accidentally leave my car door open with my keys in the ignition and someone steals the car should he/she be charged with Grand Theft Auto?

fuck yes.