Jul 20 - Mom hacks school's computer system to change kids grades

Catherine Venusto, 45, admitted to using pa#sword information obtained while employed as a secretary for the Northwestern Lehigh School District to log onto the computer system on multiple occasions, according to authorities.

Using district superintendent Dr. Mary Anne Wright's sign-on and pa#sword, she changed a failing grade for her daughter to a medical exception in 2010 and bumped up a grade of 98 to a 99 for her son in February, authorities said.

She used also Wright's information gain access to emails and personnel files,[..]istant superintendent Jennifer Holman told NBC News.
Authorities said Venusto also used employee pa#swords to access the district's human resource system.
Venusto told police she logged into the system out of "curiosity" and "boredom," according to court records, The Morning Call reported.
The investigation began in February when Holman reported that a former employee had used the Wright's pa#sword and username to gain access into the district's computer system.

"We had a pretty good idea (identity of employee) because of the grades that were changed," Holman told NBC News.
A teacher at district high school told the principal she had seen Wright's name as logging into an electronic gradebook system, Holman said.
After district officials contacted Wright to inquire about her viewing student grades, she ordered a shutdown of the district's computer system.

"At the time, I didn't quite have a grasp of the scope of what happened, but I was immediately concerned for protected information," Wright said. "We shut down the system within three hours of learning there was a potential problem."

As a secretary, Venusto's duties included creating sign-in and pa#swords for Wright and several other employees, the Morning Call reported.
Holman said she left her secretary job of six years in 2011 in good standing for a position with another school district before going to work for QVC, an online shopping network, according to a news release by the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
The release said an investigation found Venusto logged into the district's computer system more than 100 times using Wright's pa#sword.
Venusto used three different Internet-provider addresses, one from her home, the East Penn School District and another[..]ociated with QVC, to log onto the system, the news release said.

"We deeply regret this incident and that this unauthorized access occurred, and we sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause," Wright said in a statement posted on the district's website.
Holman said no evidence was found suggesting employee personal information was compromised or used for illegal purposes. She told NBC News that the grades for Venusto's children were the only ones changed.

She has been charged with three counts of unlawful use of a computer and three counts of computer trespa#s, according to court records.
She was released on $30,000 bail Wednesday.
Police said she admitted her actions were unethical but not illegal.

Source

damn wish i had that information. i would be an all A student.

[pic] This !! didn't hack !!. She had the !!in pa#swords [pic]

If she was halfway smart, she would have change the grades of a lot of kids so they couldn't point in her direction. How the !! she gonna only change her kids grades [pic] among the other !! she could have done to get away with it.

This !! was so out of her league doing this !!. It was only a matter of time before she was caught the second she logged on.

lol

Web definitions

(Hacking (computers)) In common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers and computer networks, either for profit or motivated by the challenge. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground but is now an open community.


This !! did not do any of that.

A 98 to a 99

WHY? [pic]

[pic]

!! I wish my mom did this for me

shes a hacker? lolol i

Wish I could have boosted my 89 to a 90 for my anatomy cla#s [pic] that was a difference between an A and B grade....but a 98 to 99? [pic]

Oh !! that's near Allentown PA.. I'm sure child services will be looking into this .. SMH

lol she couldn't just do a solid for everyone and give em good grades... what a !!

I remember i did that, had to change my 20% to a 40%. !![..] niccas caught me, needless to say, i work with Sony now [pic]

This is not hacking. If you have the pa#sword all you're doing is logging in.

I hate when people use the term hacking when they just happen to know the persons name and pa#sword

That !! is not hacking in any way shape or form

I come in here thinking this !! is an ex Cia operative or some !! with a dumba#s son, but nooooooooo

What if she did Social Engineering to get the pa#sword, would that be hacking?

How isn't this hacking? Is this her account? Was she given the pa#swords by the owner of the account?

This!!!!!!!!!! What the !!ing !! man.

I used to be happy getting a dam C

when keeping it sneaky goes wrong [pic]

[pic]