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Generic Passwords Expose Student Data

Makarand writes "The personal information of thousands of California children and their teachers was open to public view when the school districts issued a generic password to teachers using the system. Until the teacher used the system and changed the generic password to a unique password, anyone was able to type in a teacher's user name and generic password to gain access. Administrators shut down access to the service after a reporter phoned in to let them know that she had been able to access student information for all the children in two middle-school classes where the teachers had not yet changed their passwords." From the article: "'I'm fuming mad,' said Sarah Gadye, the San Francisco middle school teacher who discovered the problem Thursday -- three years after the district purchased the service for elementary and middle school teachers. 'My own child could go into this, figure it out and get all this data on all these students. It's mind-boggling.'"

2 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. Sigh by GoodOmens · · Score: 5, Funny

    I missed out on having the ability to hack my middle teachers computer's. All we had were apple IIe's and Oregon Trail (Which still rocks btw) :-(.

  2. Re:1234 by Gr33nNight · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thats the same combination on my luggage!!