May 16, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
Pa. Student Accused Of 'Hacking' School System
DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
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Downingtown Area School District officials said that a 15-year-old student gained access to files on a computer at Downingtown West High School on May 9.
CBS
Authorities are investigating the theft of personal information from a computer in a Chester County school district.
Downingtown Area School District officials said that a 15-year-old student gained access to files on a computer at Downingtown West High School on May 9.
Numerous files containing the personal information of 70 staff members and several thousand tax payers were apparently copied and distributed to other students. The files apparently contained salary information and social security numbers.
Police said the students involved in the incident have been identified and the data was safely recovered.
The district is working to determine how far the breach reached and secure their network from future abuse. Officials believe the student was just attempting to see if he could infiltrate the network, not identity theft.
As a precaution, all staff members were notified of the incident and told to check their personal data.
It is unclear if the student will face charges.
The incident marks the second time private information has been obtained by a student at the school. Officials said a student was charged after hacking the system in December 2007. The student did not distribute any information obtained in the previous incident.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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