“Inadequate” Password Allows School Security Camera To Be hacked

A  parent logging on their child’s high school account to check on his/her grades and homework assignments made an astonishing discovery: security camera images showing his teen walking down a hall inside theColonial Heights High School.

The parent when speaking with WTVR CBS 6, on a condition that they remain anonymous in order to protect the identity of their child, said, “I could tell by the curvature of the ceiling that it was coming from a security camera within the school.”

Officials from Colonial Heights Public Schools confirm that a student was able to gain access to a camera that was used to monitor a hallway upstairs in the school. The student took a screen shot of his friend walking down the hallway.

Colonial Heights Public Schools Superintendent, Joseph Cox said that, “Our understanding is that he gained access to… one camera.” Cox added saying, “They don’t have audio capabilities and, so it was an isolated incident.”

Cox claims that both, the high school administration and the Police investigated this breach. Cox explained saying, “Password protection was inadequate and that’s been fixed.” The father of the student who found this camera says that all parents of students at the school should be concerned.

He claims that he is curious as to how long the student was able to access this camera and whether there are more images that the school is unaware of.

The father also wondered if anyone, apart from their student is able to access the camera in a similar way. Cox claims that the student who was watching this camera and the student who was involved in this breach were both disciplined.

The superintendent also said that, “An audit of the camera systems at all five city schools was completed and no other issues were discovered.”