More than a dozen cyber attacks have made online learning difficult, if not impossible, for some Miami-Dade students and teachers this week, but authorities may have found one of the culprits behind them.
A 16-year-old student at South Miami Senior High School was arrested Thursday and charged with computer use in an attempt to defraud and interference with an educational institution, according to Local 10. The attempt to defraud charge is a third-degree felony.
The teen admitted to launching eight Denial of Service attacks against the Miami-Dade Public Schools network. The student was found out after FBI, the Secret Service, and Florida law enforcement were able to trace the cyber attacks back to the student's IP address.
Miami public schools have been dealing with DDoS attacks and software glitches since online learning started on Monday. Connecting to the district's online learning platform, My School Online, has been so difficult for some students and teachers that classes have been moved over to Zoom, NBC reported.
"There was a malicious attempt, malicious, well-orchestrated, complex attempt at derailing, destroying the connection which is essential for our students and teachers," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
Investigators believe that the teen may not be the only person behind the district's cyber attacks.
“We believe, based upon our investigation, that other attackers are out there,” Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Edwin Lopez said in a statement. “We will not rest until every one of them is caught and brought to justice. 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.”
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