The individuals are being accused of engaging in computer criminal activity for reportedly interfering with the network at the behest of their acquaintances.
Two teenagers, aged 14, have been accused of disrupting their school's Wi-Fi system in order to avoid taking exams, as reported by authorities on Monday.
NJ.com reported that high school freshmen in New Jersey are facing charges related to computer criminal activity and conspiracy to commit such acts. Authorities were alerted by school officials last Thursday following a series of Wi-Fi network crashes over the course of a week.
Capt. Dennis Miller, as reported by NorthJersey.com, stated that school authorities at Secaucus High School contacted the Secaucus Police Department to inform them about two students who were involved in a "plot to intentionally disrupt the school's WiFi service whenever requested."
The identities of the individuals have not been disclosed due to their status as minors. They have been reunited with their parents and are anticipated to attend a hearing at the juvenile family court in Jersey City, the specific date of which remains undisclosed.
On Monday, Schools Superintendent Jennifer Montesano announced that the Wi-Fi has been restored and is functioning properly. Although she did not provide specific information, she did mention that an investigation identified two students who potentially played a role in the disruption of our system.
How did they do it?
Several students informed NJ.com that they suspect the boys utilized a Wi-Fi interrupter program or application to overwhelm the school's routers with traffic in a denial of service (DoS) attack. This attack resulted in the network failing when students attempted to access it for classwork or online exams.
The news outlet interviewed a student at Secaucus High School who mentioned that she became aware of the Wi-Fi issue after a friend informed her that one of the suspects had been asked to disrupt the signal during an exam.
It was done for both the exam-adverse and for fun, she said:
One of the boys engaged in this behavior as a means to evade tests and similar obligations. Additionally, he did it on behalf of his friend, so that she could avoid taking a test during the class. Undoubtedly, it was a substantial prank.
Jamming phones, Wi-Fi and GPS is illegal
Some students were disgruntled – why should the whole class be disrupted because a few kids didn’t feel like squeezing out some brain juice that day? Others were impressed by the boys’ alleged technical acumen and sported more of a “Meh! Nobody got hurt” reaction, like this 10th grader:
I found it astonishing that a child of our age, or near our age, could accomplish such a task.
The manipulation of individuals' education is occurring, yet it is not causing harm to anyone.
Concerning the initial point, it is advisable for those students not to be overly influenced by their peers' supposed technological expertise. Despite the fact that gsm jammer are prohibited from being marketed, sold, or utilized in the United States - with the exception of authorized, official use by the federal government - they can easily be purchased online for a few hundred dollars.
With regards to nobody getting hurt when Wi-Fi crashes, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begs to differ. When you use a signal jammer, you’re jamming critical communications, the FCC points out in its jammers FAQ:
Jammers present a significant threat beyond mere annoyance; they endanger public safety by obstructing the transmission of vital emergency communications. cell phone jammer fail to differentiate between casual conversations and urgent calls for help to loved ones or emergency services. Likewise, GPS and wifi jammer intentionally disrupt essential communication services, both routine and critical.
Several years ago, an incident occurred where a man was charged with a felony for deliberately disrupting the phone signals of his fellow commuters. This action was driven by his annoyance towards their conversations.
It is possible that no one was injured as a result of the school Wi-Fi jamming, however, it is crucial that children do not develop the belief that this is a harmless joke. The consequences are not trivial, and they can be quite serious.
