Boy, 9, accused of hacking into Fairfax schools' computer system

2010-04-15 05:23

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041404159.html By Tom Jackman Washington Post Staff Writer April 15, 2010 Are you smarter than a third-grader? Because the online education system used by the Fairfax County public schools apparently is not. Police say a 9-year-old McLean boy hacked into the Blackboard Learning System used by the county school system to change teachers' and staff members' passwords, change or delete course content, and change course enrollment. One of the victims was Fairfax Superintendent Jack D. Dale, according to an affidavit filed by a Fairfax detective in Fairfax Circuit Court this week. But police and school officials decided no harm, no foul. The boy did not intend to do any serious damage, and didn't, so the police withdrew and are allowing the school district to handle the half-grown hacker. "It's a warning," said Paul Regnier, the Fairfax schools spokesman. "No damage was done, but we went to Blackboard to work with them and make sure somebody else isn't able to do this and cause real harm." [...] ___________________________________________________________ Register now for HITBSecConf2010 - Dubai, the premier deep-knowledge network security event in the GCC, featuring keynote speakers John Viega and Matt Watchinski! http://conference.hitb.org/hitbsecconf2010dxb/

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/14/AR2010041404159.html

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