Security News > 2023 > December > Former IT manager pleads guilty to attacking high school network
Conor LaHiff, a former IT manager for a New Jersey public high school, has admitted to committing a cyberattack against his former employer following the termination of his employment in June 2023.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that LaHiff pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized damage to protected computers, violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
The DOJ announcement describes the cyberattack as an act of retaliation, specifically targeting Apple and IT administrator accounts to cause damage and disruption to the school's operations.
"After he was fired, LaHiff used his administrative privileges to deactivate and delete thousands of Apple IDs from the school's Apple School Manager account - software used to manage student, faculty and staff information technology resources," reads the U.S. DOJ announcement.
The announcement says that LaHiff's actions caused the school to incur at least $5,000 in direct financial losses.
Interestingly, despite his actions, LaHiff had already filled a similar position at another public high school, which the judge is requiring LaHiff to notify about the guilty plea.