Another hacker nabbed
Contributed by: Email on 04/20/2012 08:07 AM
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Third year business student Mark Weaver must have really wanted to be class president. He allegedly hacked into the California State University at San Marcos computer network and stole some 700 student identities, according to the FBI, who is investigating whether federal law was violated.
Mark Weaver was arrested last month on suspicion of election fraud, unlawful access to a computer or database and 10 counts of identity theft, according to the North County Times. Weaver has posted bail and has not yet been charged with a crime.
Weaver supposedly has ties to a controversial underground campus newspaper that bills itself as a humor publication, but critics claim the satire is often filed with hate speech and misogyny.
A network administrator at Cal State San Marcos noticed suspicious activity on a university computer in mid-March. Campus police found Weaver logged into that school computer and "in possession of a device that can be used to steal computer passwords" -- a keystroke logger.
As with most college campuses, students receive a unique username and password to manage class schedules and to vote online in elections. Weaver was arrested during a four day voting period in which he was one of two official candidates for the Associated Students Inc. president. The election was canceled by the school due to the electoral process being compromised.
Founded in 1989, a university official said this is the largest identity theft case for the college. The victims were notified of the hacking and their accounts were locked down.
The FBI confirmed it was looking into possible federal violations to the election process. "I can't say exactly what we are looking at, but given the facts and circumstances that have been reported to us, it appears there may be violations of federal laws," said FBI Special Agent Darrel Foxworth according to the North County Times.
Mark Weaver was arrested last month on suspicion of election fraud, unlawful access to a computer or database and 10 counts of identity theft, according to the North County Times. Weaver has posted bail and has not yet been charged with a crime.
Weaver supposedly has ties to a controversial underground campus newspaper that bills itself as a humor publication, but critics claim the satire is often filed with hate speech and misogyny.
A network administrator at Cal State San Marcos noticed suspicious activity on a university computer in mid-March. Campus police found Weaver logged into that school computer and "in possession of a device that can be used to steal computer passwords" -- a keystroke logger.
As with most college campuses, students receive a unique username and password to manage class schedules and to vote online in elections. Weaver was arrested during a four day voting period in which he was one of two official candidates for the Associated Students Inc. president. The election was canceled by the school due to the electoral process being compromised.
Founded in 1989, a university official said this is the largest identity theft case for the college. The victims were notified of the hacking and their accounts were locked down.
The FBI confirmed it was looking into possible federal violations to the election process. "I can't say exactly what we are looking at, but given the facts and circumstances that have been reported to us, it appears there may be violations of federal laws," said FBI Special Agent Darrel Foxworth according to the North County Times.
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