Computer Whiz Kid Hacked High School to Fix His Bad Grades

Education // New York, United States

Eric Walstrom, 16, used a smartphone to bypass several layers of security on his Staten Island school’s network and access report cards, as well as transcripts. He then changed the data to improve his marks.

Students described Walstrom as an “average student” who wasn’t that interested in class. He was caught when a school information technology worker noticed the unauthorized log-ins to the system.

Walstrom had honed some of his advanced programming chops at the elite iD Programming Academy for Teens, a summer camp held at several universities.

“The school teaches you advanced computer programming. . . He used what he learned for evil. He went the malicious way and focused on hacking and manipulation,” Sean Morris, 16, who also attended the academy, told the Post. “Maybe he can get a Secret Service job later on!”