ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512110109
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG
A 16-year-old visiting Eastern Mennonite College deactivated security measures on the college's computer system, allowing students a glimpse at final exams.
``Some of his messing around opened files that for a period of time allowed access to anyone who wanted it,'' college spokesman Jim Bishop said.
School officials said the teen-ager apparently did not realize what he was doing Dec. 2 when he entered the computer system using software off a hacker bulletin board.
The intrusion created ``some devastating consequences he didn't realize,'' said Ron Helmuth, director of information systems.
``One of the unintended consequences of the program he ran gave supervisory privileges to all 1,200 users,'' Helmuth said. Those signing onto the system could examine documents, including pending final exams, that normally would have been ``locked'' away.
The 16-year-old has been charged with computer trespassing, but school officials are working on a restitution agreement rather than going to court.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 31 linesby CNB