There is no doubt that taking exams can be stressful, especially if you need a good grade whether it be to get into the school of your choice, or to prevent yourself from being kicked out, and so on. However what lengths would you go to get a good grade? In the case of a 16-year old high school student from Concord, California, phishing was the answer.
In a report from KTVU (via Gizmodo), the teen was arrested with the help of US Secret Service after he had launched a phishing campaign on his teachers to try and figure out their passwords. The emails sent to the teachers provided a link to a website that had been designed to mirror the school’s portal, and at least one teacher entered their credentials after falling for it.
Using that stolen information, the student went on to change his grades along with other students. In some cases he raised the grades of some, while lowering the grades of others. Law enforcement eventually caught wind of the scheme and managed to obtain the IP addresses associated with the site, where it eventually led to the arrest of the student.
He was then charged with 14 felony counts. Speaking to ABC7, the student was quoted as saying, “It was like stealing candy from a baby.” He has since been suspended from school and is awaiting a court date.