A 14-year-old Florida student has been arrested and charged with felony hacking charges after he changed the background of a teacher’s computer to photo of two men kissing using a stolen password.
Domanik Green, a student of Paul R. Smith Middle School in Holiday, committed the crime on Tuesday March 31 and was subsequently charged with felony offense against a computer system and unauthorized access.
According to Pasco County Sheriff, Chris Nocco, the teenager stole an administrative-level password to access his school’s secure computer network.
Nocco told the Tampa Bay Times that the student’s action may be seen as a prank but it has more consequences.
“Even though some might say this is just a teenage prank, who knows what this teenager might have done,” Nocco said.
Green said he learned the password, which is the teacher’s last name, by watching a teacher type it in two years ago.
He told WTSP-TV that he would not have played the prank if anyone had told him it was illegal.
“If they would have notified me it was illegal, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place. But all they said was, ‘You shouldn’t be doing that,'” he said.
His mother, Eileen Foster, said the charge levelled against her son was undeserving, noting that her son could have done more damage than just play a prank.
“He had the chance to get into the FCAT files, he had the chance to change grades, to do whatever you can do in the FCAT files and he didn’t take it,” she said.
“I think that alone proves he doesn’t deserve a felony charge.”
Green confessed that he played the prank on a teacher he doesn’t like.
He has been suspended for 10 days.
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