Sacked IT worker targeted school’s computer system in ‘spiteful’ revenge attack
AN IT technician carried out a “spiteful revenge” attack after being sacked by a school, wiping families’ computers of all their pictures and other vital data.
Adam Georgeson targeted the system at Welland Park Academy, Market Harborough, while pupils were working from home during lockdown.
It meant anyone logged into the system had everything on their computers deleted, including family photographs and coursework, and lost access to email for several days.
The attack wiped at least 125 devices, including those belonging to 39 families and machines at the school, which had to spend £15,600 to restore the system, forcing it to make spending cutbacks elsewhere.
The school’s network was offline for 10 days and staff worked overtime without payment to rectify the problems, with 14 unable to resume working remotely for nearly four months.
Georgeson, of Robin Lane, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, admitted two counts of unauthorised modification of computer material and appeared at Leicester Crown Court to be sentenced. He was jailed for 21 months.
In a personal impact statement, the mother of one pupil described his computer resetting itself as if it was brand-new, wiping out most of her own university coursework from the preceding 18 months.
A father-of-three, whose eldest child attended Welland Park, described the upset of losing 1,000 family photographs.
Another parent described losing hundreds of pictures of his children growing up, along with precious images of deceased relatives.
As an assistant headteacher, he also lost learning-related material and his son’s GCSE coursework was wiped out.
A few months later, the 29-yearold defendant “spitefully” carried out a similar cyber attack on another former workplace, Rutland-based Millennium Computer Services, who dismissed him in March last year for misusing the company’s credit card to buy personal computing equipment.
Dan Bishop, prosecuting, added after Georgeson was “asked to resign” from his analyst post at Millennium Computer Services it was discovered the company’s email account was not working and that he had maliciously disrupted the computer system, including changing passwords, preventing staff accessing their computer systems.
Mr Bishop said that in February 2017, the defendant was sacked from his apprentice IT technician post at Welland Park Academy when it came to light he failed to disclose two previous convictions for fraud.
Sentencing, Judge Mark Watson said the human cost of the school cyber attack was “unquantifiable.”
Kevin Barry, mitigating, said Georgeson “irrationally” turned to computer hacking when going through a severe crisis of “depression and anxiety.”
He added: “He has expressed remorse, guilt, shame and bitter regret.”
Mr Barry told the court the two frauds, committed in 2016, involved him offering a couple of computers for sale, on Gumtree, but not supplying them - for which he was sentenced to a community order.
He had since kept out of trouble and was rebuilding his life, engaging in voluntary work in a charity shop and had been offered a university place on a cyber security course - in the hope of working in that sector as there was a sense within the industry that “poachers turned gamekeepers” could be effective.
Afterwards, Detective Constable Anthony Jones, from the police cyber crime team, said: “I’m pleased that he has been sentenced for his actions and hope he takes time to reflect on the severity of his crimes.
“I also hope this case serves as an example to our communities that our dedicated team within the digital hub takes reports of crime extremely seriously and will work to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
DOZENS OF FAMILIES WERE BADLY HIT AS PUPILS WORKED FROM HOME