A high school junior was arrested this morning for allegedly launching a cyber attack on the web-based systems used by their Florida school district for online learning.
The unidentified 16-year-old attends South Miami Senior High School, part of the Miami-Dade public school district. The student admitted to orchestrating eight DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) cyber attacks meant to take down school district networks, including the web architecture propping up My School Online. The district has experienced more than a dozen cyber attacks since the 2020-2021 school year started.
The student is charged with “computer use in an attempt to defraud,” a third-degree felony, and “interference with an educational institution,” a second-degree misdemeanor.
The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department (M-DSPD) conducted the arrest; it worked with the FBI, Secret Service, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement on this case.
“We believe, based upon our investigation, that other attackers are out there,” M-DSPD Chief Edwin Lopez said in a press release. “ Cyber attacks are serious crimes, which have far-reaching negative impacts. Our message to anyone thinking of attempting a criminal act like this is to think twice. We will find you.”
These attacks play into wider concerns about cybersecurity as many schools are forced to begin this academic year remotely amid the ongoing pandemic.
