In someone’s office, the password is probably on a sticky note under the keyboard.
Annonymouse
In my case it is hidden among 50+ others with haikus, quips, quotes, due dates, math-isms [Creepy < A/2+7], reminders, parts lists and other such ephemera on the window.
Good Luck – Why yes I do use Haikus as passwords XD
if it is a local office lan wifi with an easily crackable password (which many are since people don’t change the defaults) and there is no lan security between the different office machines. Then you would have to be close to the wifi. However this would mean the department just has a bunch of computers and they aren’t part of the schools domain requiring real logins to the actual pcs. Also I think the assumption here is they are just in some docs for the particular class and stored on a hard drive and not submitted to the school system yet which might just take final grades not any interim things. The hardest part would be finding the actual document. In truth even if the security of the lan was lax and had no domain and there was no system to enter interim grades, the grades are probably in a document inside of an email system not a hard drive. But in the end *shrug* with the exception of Mr Robot, nothing demonstrates how hacking works correctly anyway. So who cares, the story needed the scene with them sneaking past Sal.
Knowing how lazy some IT departments can be, it wouldn’t surprise me if that server was accessible from the public Internet.
Even jf it isn’t, and the WiFi that Amber’s connected to is relatively isolated, all she needs is a known compromised desktop to RDP into that’s routable to the WiFi and server subnets.
Maybe the system is relatively secure, at least as far as it can be, but the password is taped to the bottom of his keyboard. Or the front of his screen.
But it comes stright of his self hatred
It’s a +3 Maturity/Honor points plus -5 Self esteem points buff, so I have mixed feelings
Deanatay
Well, he’s always had self-esteem to spare, maybe he can afford to lose some.
Wright
I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. When a person improves themselves for the better, it often comes from looking at how they are right now, not liking it, and deciding to change. Walky’s getting a good look at where trying to artificially inflate his ego would take him, and he doesn’t like it. Much better to take the consequences of those actions and try to do better than to live with the knowledge that you’re the sort of person who lies and cheats when things get tough.
Agemegos
Self-esteem that is not actually founded on anything is immensely fashionable, but it turns out to be a very bad thing. It discourages effort, it leads to avoidance of challenges, and it is vulnerable to sudden loss, which leads to many sorts of bad behaviour. Walky needs accomplishments far more than he needs good grades.
thejeff
Of course, up until the last few weeks Walky had those good grades, those academic accomplishments and he had them without putting any real effort in.
It’s not like being smart and able to do things easily is actually bad and not worth a little self-esteem. I don’t think it’s fair to say his self-esteem wasn’t founded on anything.
Inahc
self-esteem founded on accomplishments is also vulnerable to sudden loss when your abilities are taken from you. 😛
That’s because if a decision is both correct AND what you want to do, then you do it without any need for soul-searching, so you don’t even think of it as a “decision”.
3oranges
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because we would rather do almost anything else.
Whatever Amber’s changed, it’s only mid-October. So Walky still has to pass exams for the next two months or so, not to mention the final. And if he doesn’t understand the current material, how likely is it that he’ll understand the next two months of material?
Or, maybe two months from now, Amber will hack his grades again.
Dorothy was his math tutor for awhile (or was supposed to tutor him), and she knows he’s skipped class at least once, probably more. So at the very least, Dorothy will be suspicious if she finds out Walky’s official grade is anything more than a low B.
And that’s not the point – the point is that Walky would do something that would make Dorothy think less of her if she were to find out. And for all his talk about being garbage… he doesn’t want to be a person she would think less of.
What’cha gonna do, wanna-be hackers?
Code-crackers, slackers?
Wastin’ time on all the chat-room yakkers?
Chillin’ 9-to-5 at Hewlett-Packard’s?
Workin’ at a desk with a dumb little placard
Payin’ the bills with my m@d programmin’ skillz
Defrag my hard drive for thrillz
Upgrade my system at least twice a day
I’m strictly plug ‘n’ play
I ain’t afraid of Y2K
I hang with Bill Gates – I call him ‘Money’ for short
I call him up at home and I make him do my tech support
218 thoughts on “Fraud”
Ana Chronistic
“I just pushed the Easy button, what security”
Doctor_Who
“Password was 12345? Amazing, I have the same combination on my luggage.”
threePwny
“Prepare the Walky’s grades for passing!”
Marsh Maryrose
In someone’s office, the password is probably on a sticky note under the keyboard.
Annonymouse
In my case it is hidden among 50+ others with haikus, quips, quotes, due dates, math-isms [Creepy < A/2+7], reminders, parts lists and other such ephemera on the window.
Good Luck – Why yes I do use Haikus as passwords XD
Fire_daws
Fasten all seatbelts, seal all entrances and exits, close all shops in the mall, cancel the three ring circus, secure all animals in the zoo!
Deanatay
What’s that coming out of her nose?
Spaceballs!
Oh, shit. There goes the planet!
spam
*hacker voice* im in
Sunny D
Damn, you beat me to this gag, I thought my comment was pretty witty until I hit post and then this appeared far above mine
spam
i think i only beat you cause mine was shorter, but yours is indeed better
Sunny D
This may be true, I overdid it
Nah honestly I like yours more, gets the point across quicker
Darkoneko
Uh, throught Wifi ? wouldn’t it work from further then ? Well assuming you already know the comp’s IP.
BBCC
She didn’t know what kind of system it was before she got here.
Questionor
if it is a local office lan wifi with an easily crackable password (which many are since people don’t change the defaults) and there is no lan security between the different office machines. Then you would have to be close to the wifi. However this would mean the department just has a bunch of computers and they aren’t part of the schools domain requiring real logins to the actual pcs. Also I think the assumption here is they are just in some docs for the particular class and stored on a hard drive and not submitted to the school system yet which might just take final grades not any interim things. The hardest part would be finding the actual document. In truth even if the security of the lan was lax and had no domain and there was no system to enter interim grades, the grades are probably in a document inside of an email system not a hard drive. But in the end *shrug* with the exception of Mr Robot, nothing demonstrates how hacking works correctly anyway. So who cares, the story needed the scene with them sneaking past Sal.
Needfuldoer
Knowing how lazy some IT departments can be, it wouldn’t surprise me if that server was accessible from the public Internet.
Even jf it isn’t, and the WiFi that Amber’s connected to is relatively isolated, all she needs is a known compromised desktop to RDP into that’s routable to the WiFi and server subnets.
Dalben
Maybe the system is relatively secure, at least as far as it can be, but the password is taped to the bottom of his keyboard. Or the front of his screen.
Deanatay
WiFi security? I don’t know how that works, I’m just a Comp Sci teacher! Get the IT department to do it!
We don’t HAVE an IT department?? Well, hire someone to set it up!
They want HOW MUCH? Forget that, we’ll just get some seniors to set it up as part of their senior project! It’ll be secure enough, right?
BBCC
I’m so proud of Walky here! <3
Wizard
That is an impressive spurt of maturity.
AGV
But it comes stright of his self hatred
It’s a +3 Maturity/Honor points plus -5 Self esteem points buff, so I have mixed feelings
Deanatay
Well, he’s always had self-esteem to spare, maybe he can afford to lose some.
Wright
I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. When a person improves themselves for the better, it often comes from looking at how they are right now, not liking it, and deciding to change. Walky’s getting a good look at where trying to artificially inflate his ego would take him, and he doesn’t like it. Much better to take the consequences of those actions and try to do better than to live with the knowledge that you’re the sort of person who lies and cheats when things get tough.
Agemegos
Self-esteem that is not actually founded on anything is immensely fashionable, but it turns out to be a very bad thing. It discourages effort, it leads to avoidance of challenges, and it is vulnerable to sudden loss, which leads to many sorts of bad behaviour. Walky needs accomplishments far more than he needs good grades.
thejeff
Of course, up until the last few weeks Walky had those good grades, those academic accomplishments and he had them without putting any real effort in.
It’s not like being smart and able to do things easily is actually bad and not worth a little self-esteem. I don’t think it’s fair to say his self-esteem wasn’t founded on anything.
Inahc
self-esteem founded on accomplishments is also vulnerable to sudden loss when your abilities are taken from you. 😛
Regalli
Very good for him!
SailorCakes
Huh? Already done it
Puckish Rogue
Yeah its tempting Walky but do the right thing
newllend(henryvolt)
….Do the right thing and cheat?
Yumi
Yes.
Puckish Rogue
In my experience the correct decision is, generally speaking, the decision you want to do the least
newllend(henryvolt)
What if I don’t want to punt a random child on the Street.
Tacos
Punt’em anyways.
sun tzu
That’s because if a decision is both correct AND what you want to do, then you do it without any need for soul-searching, so you don’t even think of it as a “decision”.
3oranges
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because we would rather do almost anything else.
Danni
changing grades has gotten so much faster since ferris bueller
tyranidswarm
She could give him a B and everyone else an A so he doesn’t feel bad.
DailyBrad
Teacher apathy can help him get away with it, but surely changing everyone wouldn’t go unnoticed
Cedrick Rozon
Congratulations on having a conscience, Walky! Now go study!
Agemegos
Yes. Put in some effort so that you can get reward for effort, which will teach you to make an effort.
Fresher maths isn’t hard if you don’t avoid learning.
AnvilPro
This is all bad and I don’t like it. This will come back to bite Walky when he tried his best
Marsh Maryrose
Whatever Amber’s changed, it’s only mid-October. So Walky still has to pass exams for the next two months or so, not to mention the final. And if he doesn’t understand the current material, how likely is it that he’ll understand the next two months of material?
Or, maybe two months from now, Amber will hack his grades again.
Bagge
And Dorothy would know somethings is up. Just saying, little mouse boy.
King Daniel
How would she know?
Nono
Joyce?
King Daniel
Since he’s no longer Dorothy’s boyfriend, would Joyce even care enough to tell her? She thinks very little of Wally in this ‘verse.
King Daniel
Walky. *halfheartedly mumbles a curse in autocorrect’s direction*
Max Void
wwwwwwwaaaaaaaAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLKY (EXPECTATION SUBVERSION HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)
Yumi
Well, if he started bragging about his grade in math, she’d know. But otherwise I think she’d just assume he passed, maybe learned to study.
BBCC
Until they took a ‘break’ she was helping him study.
King Daniel
And since then, they’ve broken up entirely. That’s why Walky was drunk, remember?
cbwroses
It’s only been two days.
BBCC
I know that but the point is, Dorothy knows he’s struggled in math and would be suspicious if his final grade is stellar.
pjeseb
Dorothy was his math tutor for awhile (or was supposed to tutor him), and she knows he’s skipped class at least once, probably more. So at the very least, Dorothy will be suspicious if she finds out Walky’s official grade is anything more than a low B.
Bagge
Dorothy knows everything.
And that’s not the point – the point is that Walky would do something that would make Dorothy think less of her if she were to find out. And for all his talk about being garbage… he doesn’t want to be a person she would think less of.
Bagge
less of *him
Cattleprod
What the hell, there wasn’t even a laser grid. Movies are full of crap.
chris2315
Oh, there was a laser grid. And also the whole floor was electrified. Amber is just that good.
Bagge
Frankly, the laser sharks did not deserve what happened to them.
MatthewTheLucky
This is entirely plausible when you remember she has used pliers to zipline onto a moving truck solely to avoid an awkward conversation.
Harvest Time
Dangit, let’s see where this goes. I like responsible, non-wacky Walky.
Sunny D
Amber: *closeup of slapping keys on computer* *switch to midshot, speaks computer jargon*
Wally: IN ENGLISH, DAMMIT
Amber: *closeup* I ‘ m i n .
Stephen Bierce
All About The Pentiums! All About The Pentiums! YEAH!
brionl
It says here “Novell NetWare”?
Needfuldoer
That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…
Michelle J. Caboose
So you know him?
Deanatay
What’cha gonna do, wanna-be hackers?
Code-crackers, slackers?
Wastin’ time on all the chat-room yakkers?
Chillin’ 9-to-5 at Hewlett-Packard’s?
Workin’ at a desk with a dumb little placard
Payin’ the bills with my m@d programmin’ skillz
Defrag my hard drive for thrillz
Upgrade my system at least twice a day
I’m strictly plug ‘n’ play
I ain’t afraid of Y2K
I hang with Bill Gates – I call him ‘Money’ for short
I call him up at home and I make him do my tech support
It’s all about the Pentiums WHAT WHAT
Remmington Steele
Still good.
StClair
(… you have just reminded me that)
that song is almost twenty years old.
damn.
DailyBrad
Panel 3, guessing Sal is on his mind. It’s sweet to see that the stuff she said that he was initially resistant to listening to did in fact sink in.