[ISN] Hackers Get Access to New Jersey School Data System

From: InfoSec News <alerts_at_private>
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:23:22 -0600 (CST)
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/217601/hackers_get_access_to_new_jersey_school_data_system.html

By Robert McMillan
IDG News
Jan 24, 2011

Users of the 4chan online message board managed to get access to the 
online student information system used by a New Jersey school district 
after the school's administrative password was posted to 4chan last 
week.

The problem started last Tuesday, according to the Plainfield Board of 
Education, which serves a small school district just west of Newark. 
That's when somebody posted a link to the login page and the 
administrative username ("admin") and password ("poopnugget") of the 
district's Genesis Student Information System to 4chan, a popular but 
anarchic message board best known as the place where David Kernell 
posted details of his break-in of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's 
Yahoo e-mail account.

The Web-based Genesis software is used by about 160 New Jersey schools 
to manage their student records and communicate with students and 
parents.

It's not clear how much damage was caused, but 4chan members soon 
started posting screenshots showing how they were able to mess with the 
school's system. One screenshot shows school lunch prices reset to 
US$9,000 per meal. Another post claims that "every class is now an 
elective, and requires only 1 credit to graduate."

[...]


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Received on Mon Jan 24 2011 - 22:23:22 PST

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