High School Sophomore Arrested For Hacking Computer System, Changing Grades Of Other Students

A Northern California teen was arrested Wednesday for hacking a school district's computer system and changing the grades of up to 15 students.

Authorities said they arrested David Rotaro, a sophomore at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, California, for infiltrating the school district's computer system.

Rotaro, 16, said it was like "stealing candy from a baby," according to KGO-TV, an ABC affiliate in San Francisco. It took him five minutes to design a "phishing email," that he sent out to swipe login information from school faculty.

Authorities didn't release Rotaro's name, however, he confessed to having committed the crime during an interview with KGO-TV.

He was released from custody Wednesday and has been charged with 14 felonies. The school also suspended Rotaro indefinitely.

Rotaro gained entry to the district’s computer system and raised the grades of students by using the username and password he lifted from the emails of school officials. However, he didn't alter his own records.

Police responded to a call April 25 from Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord about a possible theft inside the building, according to the East Bay Times.

School officials found out what was going on when an I.T. department worker later discovered the phishing email in the spam section of their email.

"He was charged with crimes ranging from unauthorized use of entering network to personal info," said Sgt. Carl Cruz of the Concord police.

The Secret Service, the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s officials apprehended Rotaro at his home where a K9-unit trained in detecting electronics sniffed out a memory card with evidence on it inside of a tissue box.

Rotaro's parents said they had no clue their son was capable of such an offense.

"I"m frustrated he did this and I don't want him to be in juvenile hall," said Rotaro's father.