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<p>I’m not sure what they could have done to make it so their grades on the computer matched all the grades the teachers had given them on physical assignments. Unless they can hack a red pen or something.</p>
<p>Subtlety is the key.</p>
<p>Now if I were to hack my grades (which would probably be against hacker ethic in the first place), I would use it as an emergency card. Like a “damn, 2 points short of an A” kind of thing. And at the same time, I’d actually show some effort?</p>
<p>The thing I was mainly getting at though was they probably were caught on technical evidence (which was investigated because of suspicion). </p>
<p>I should also clarify that computer criminal != hacker. The black/underground hacker ethic may include computer crimes, but only computer crimes perceived to be “against the establishment”. The equivalent here would be altering your grade if you thought a paper had been unfairly graded due to the teacher’s political bias or something.</p>
<p>People with “skillz” know about the auditing processes of the institution they are breaking into. Would you hack your own bank account? Wouldn’t you do some transfer shuffling first? Hacking entails more than just opening a program; it involves not just computer wit, but social engineering wit as well. Remember, the term “hack” originated from MITspeak to signify an unobvious yet elegant solution to a technical problem. The classic example is phreaking, such as using the whistle from the CapnCrunch box (in that era) to break into the telephone system, when you realised the toy whistle gave a tone that was extremely similar to what the computer recognised as a privileged access tone. </p>
<p>Generally, if the stereotypical hacker gets bad grades, it’s not because he’s incapable, but rather uninterested. (That is, they range from the, “I could care less about chemistry – give me computers,” to the passionate-about-everything type.) Thus, you can find brilliant hackers in both MIT and community colleges.</p>
<p>These two kids don’t deserve the appellation of “hacker”; they’re script kiddies. Everything they did was inelegant. Did they even try to ensure their teachers wouldn’t notice (e.g. pull the modification on a teacher who doesn’t audit his grades well and avoid the meticulously-accounting one)? Make their grades all 100s? All while showing extreme laziness in school?</p>
<p>To recap, hackers are part of a culture. They are rebellious but technical intellectuals, anti-establishment, and they <em>may</em> perform computer crimes where their values conflict with society (and where their technical skills also intersect). Witness how many hacker groups in the 1990s and early 2000s actively participated in setting up a digital version of the “Underground Railroad” to allow PRC citizens to bypass the “Great Firewall of China”. Today we see some of that in Gnutella and [url=<a href=“http://www.torproject.org/overview.html.en]Tor[/url”>http://www.torproject.org/overview.html.en]Tor[/url</a>]. </p>
<p>Computer criminals … well, anyone can be those.</p>
<p>These kids could actually get that time. Khan will probably get around fifteen years. He is being charged with 2nd burgulary, like 20 counts of identity theft, like 20 counts of falsifying public records, around 10 counts of fraud, etc</p>
<p>As you all probably know these are very serious charges and this kid seems absolutely clueless (judging by his mug shot)</p>
<p>He, unfortunately for him, ended up with an over zealous prosecutor</p>
<p>My father (whos an attorney) says a good amount of those charges will probably stick, unless there is a sympathic jury, and he will probably get anywhere from 5 years to 25 years</p>
<p>lol im a student!</p>
<p>It amazes that this kid is getting 38 years for trying to manipulate his way into a better college. 38 years of jail time, thats sometimes a longer sentence handed than you get if you killed someone. Tobias Wolff also manipulated records, sent in false transcripts and gave himself straight As to get into an elite prep school, which would’ve subsequently gotten him into a better college. Yet he received no punishment. A few decades later and this kid is getting 38 years. Why? He’s just a kid for chrissake, and its just college-- so please stop the bloodclot righteous indignation.</p>
<p>they are really making an example of this kid</p>
<p>I’m sure any 38-year-sentence will be appealed.</p>
<p>it depends on the trial if it runs smoothly there may be no grounds for an appeal</p>
<p>Everyone listen to john6391! Didn’t you know? His dad is a lawyer.</p>
<p>Too harsh. Way too harsh.</p>
<p>all im doing is repeating what he told me, its just a forum. So calm down</p>
<p>All real hackers are smart. :)</p>
<p>[Hacker</a> (computing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_(computing)]Hacker”>Hacker - Wikipedia)</p>