By Dave McKay | September 26, 2020
Unnamed 13-year Old Arrested for Cyberattacks in Indiana
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with hacking into an Indiana school district’s computer system. The defendant is a pupil at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Valparaiso, the county seat of Porter County, Indiana.
Police confirmed on September 18 that they had taken a boy into custody the day before, after school staff discovered he had illegally entered the Valparaiso Community School computer system.
Valparaiso police captain Joe Hall said “…The the boy is believed to be behind a series of cyber-attacks that have struck schools in the district since the pandemic triggered a shift to online learning.”"
The defendant has been charged under a new law—a level 6 felony—with committing an offence against computer users, identified as Indiana Code 35-32-1-8
Interim School Superintendent Michael Berta said “”…No evidence had been found to suggest that the boy had been working with any accomplices when he allegedly carried out the cybercrimes. This has been a very frustrating situation. We’re looking forward to moving on."
He added that since the boy’s arrest, the disruptions had ceased.
Specialists were brought in to trace and identify the perpetrator of the attacks. Valparaiso is now examining ways to improve its cyber-defenses.
Source: InfoSecurity Magazine