Students at middle and high schools in Lee County opened Chromebooks on Monday and discovered that their devices had been hacked.
The hacking attack involved opening web browser tabs on students' computers across Lee County schools, taking them to a video. Students who shared the video with ABC7 claim it was filled with photos that appeared to be hacked, with the words "Cyber Monday" written across them.
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On Monday afternoon, leaders from the Lee County School District told ABC7 that the hack was actually a prank organized by students within the school. Despite efforts , they were unable to identify the students who organized the prank. However, the district says sanctions will be imposed.
Many schools in the SWFL area were affected by these pranks, including Fort Myers High School, Ida Baker High School, and Mariner High School.
"We had just started our day and were getting ready to start work," said Alex Beck, a student at Mariner High School.
It was just after 7 a.m. when Beck and thousands of students returned to class after the Thanksgiving break. As they opened their Chromebooks to begin their classwork, a video appeared.
“It started opening this tab with a countdown and a weird video,” Beck explained. “Weird” is the perfect word to describe the photoshopped collection of photos, with an almost hacker-created image sequence, with the words “Cyber Monday. Creepy, but harmless.”
However, the end of the video caused fear in the students. A slide titled “The Time is Near” followed by a countdown clock concluded the video.
I was worried and wondering, “Why is there a countdown there? Is there going to be a bomb? Is there going to be a shooting? What’s going on?” Beck said.
Lee County Schools reassured parents in an email Monday night, clarifying that it was not a hacking, but likely a prank by students.
FULL EMAIL FROM LEE COUNTY SCHOOLS:
“Good evening SDLC Parents,
This email is to share with you information about a Cyber Monday hoax on student Chromebooks.
The Cyber Monday hoax redirected some student Chromebooks to a website falsely suggesting that the School District had been hacked by the hacking group “Anonymous.” No student information was compromised or stolen.
The District took immediate steps to stop the prank and enhance security.
We do not tolerate this type of behavior, any and all students involved will be disciplined according to the Student Code of Conduct.
Thank you for your trust and understanding.
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Lee County School District
Of the 89,337 students who have Chromebooks, school administrators say only a small percentage fell for the prank, all of whom are in high school.
"I would say probably most of the class," said Fort Myers High School sophomore Camden Oezer. "I was like, 'This is not normal, obviously.'.
The good news: student data was not leaked
Also, the district has already identified those responsible for the prank.
"It wasn't funny. It worried us," Beck said.
Lee County Schools is continuing its investigation into the prank and said any other students found involved will also be disciplined.
The district also said the affected devices are safe to use, even at home.“
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Source: abc-7.com
