Computer hacking - Students Arrested

Several Haddonfield Memorial High School students are under police investigation on accusations they hacked into the school's computer system.
The breach was discovered in the last few days, and the students, whom school district officials declined to identify, have been turned over to local police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
At a regularly scheduled meeting with parents to discuss end-of-year activities, principal Michael Wilson said the FBI might get involved in the investigation.
The students used a keystroke-logging program installed on computers at the high school to capture the user names and passwords of anyone using one of the rigged computers.
With that data, they gained access to an internal information system on which the school posts grades, class schedules, attendance, even the status of homework assignments for students and their parents to view.
In an e-mail to students and parents, Wilson said the students had gained access to about 200 of the nearly 2,000 accounts that have access to the computer system at the high school.
"It was confirmed late yesterday afternoon that several HMHS students developed a plan to capture secure passwords from staff/students who used a computer in the high school," Wilson said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Inquirer. "We are confident this is a contained situation.
"We know there is a small number of students who participated in this activity. Their access was limited to HMHS, and they successfully gained password information for about 200 of the nearly 2,000 accounts which have access to the computer system at the high school. We are confident we have identified the students and built in the appropriate controls to restrict their activity and that of anyone else who may foster a similar plan."
Wilson went on to say students and parents should change passwords to the system and change the password to any personal e-mail account that might have been accessed in the last six weeks from the school network.
"These kids may have your passwords," Wilson said, according to one person at last night's meeting.
Wilson wouldn't say what the students were doing with the information, or if they obtained administrator-level passwords, which would have allowed them to change grades, not just view them.
"Obviously, it's a serious intrusion, and they're looking into ways they can protect the system so this doesn't happen again," Board of Education president Steve Weinstein said.
Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office, said last night that he was not aware of the investigation.
School computer use has been a topic of discussion lately because of a dispute at Lower Merion High School in which staff tracked school-issued laptops by accessing the computers remotely without students' knowledge. There is no indication of that situation occurring in Haddonfield.
Karen Acton, an art teacher, said last night that she had just learned of the security breach, but that she was not alarmed because she was confident that the school would take appropriate steps to deal with the computer break-in.
"We run a tight ship," Acton said.
Fonte: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/89095142.html