Grade Hackers Face Jail and $250K Fines

Two ex-undergrads at Fresno State U. have been charged with hacking the school's system to up their grades—and face up to 20 years in jail and $250,000 fines, Computerworld reports. John Escalera, who worked the computer help desk, reportedly hacked the Peoplesoft management system in 2004 to raise his and buddy Gustavo Ravo Jr.’s grades. Both have pleaded not guilty.

But they aren't the only alleged hackers. "A small number of students were found to have made unauthorized changes to their own grades and the grades of a few other students," said Jeri Echeverria, Fresno's school provost. The school has passed a few of those cases to the FBI and US Attorney's Office. It has also upgraded system security, so profs will get pinged if a grade suddenly changes. (More Fresno State stories.)