Crackers into school files.

Hello All!

The local papers have been much exercised by the fact that a bunch of
junior crackers got into the online grade files at Winston Churchill
High School in Montgomery County. Apparently, they placed USB key stroke
recorders and freebie programs on teachers' computers and thus got the
passwords. Not only did they modify their own grades but they reduced
those of people they disliked.

Tho' it is difficult to get people to change their passwords, are there
not encrypting devices activated by fingerprints and other ways of
achieving greater security?


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James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"James Silverton" wrote in message
...
Hello All!

The local papers have been much exercised by the fact that a bunch of
junior crackers got into the online grade files at Winston Churchill High
School in Montgomery County. Apparently, they placed USB key stroke
recorders and freebie programs on teachers' computers and thus got the
passwords. Not only did they modify their own grades but they reduced
those of people they disliked.

Sounds like a good reason to have backups, and a good time to restore from
them.

Tho' it is difficult to get people to change their passwords, are there
not encrypting devices activated by fingerprints and other ways of
achieving greater security?

Yes, there are. However, such devices and the expertise needed to obtain
and install them and train users are not free, and that can be a problem; I
gather that in some jurisdictions, it's unpopular to increase taxes to pay
for such things.

On the other hand, so to speak, some fingerprint readers are easily tricked,
to the point where a photocopy image of a fingerprint (and some saliva) can
allow access.

HTH
- pk


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James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not