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High school student allegedly hacks school, charges fellow students to change grades

Students hacking schools to change grades is a crime seemingly as old as time.

A 10th-grade student at Memorial High School in Houston is under arrest after allegedly hacking into his school’s computer systems, changing grades and then charging other students to change to their own records.

The scheme, which started with a password stolen in an unspecified theft, ended on March 31 with an arrest by Spring Branch ISD police, according to local news reports.

“At this time, an ongoing investigation has found only one other underclassman paid the student to change their grades,” a spokesperson said. The service, however, was allegedly advertised to others.

The student faces felony breach of computer security charges. In Texas, those charges automatically become felonies if the computers in question are government property, as the school’s machines are.

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Students hacking school systems to change grades is a crime seemingly as old as time. Every year brings new schemes and arrests as a result of grade changing, including the hackers changing grades for other students.

Being explicitly accused of making a business play is rare, however, and will likely play against the accused if the matter goes to court.

Patrick Howell O'Neill

Written by Patrick Howell O'Neill

Patrick Howell O’Neill is a cybersecurity reporter for CyberScoop based in San Francisco.

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