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Network manager pleads guilty to cyberattack against Whittier Tech after termination

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

An Ayer man agreed to plead guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from a June 2023 cyberattack targeting the computer network of his former employer, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.Conor LaHiff, 30, was charged with one count of unauthorized damage to protected computers and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.LaHiff was employed as a desktop and network manager at Whittier Tech until he was terminated in June 2023. After he was fired, LaHiff allegedly used his administrative privileges to deactivate and delete thousands of Apple IDs from the school’s Apple School Manager account – software used to manage student, faculty and staff information technology resources. LaHiff also allegedly deactivated more than 1,400 other Apple accounts and other IT administrative accounts and disabled the school’s private branch phone system, which left the school’s phone service unavailable for approximately 24 hours.The charge of unauthorized damage to protecte...

Zappe, Cunningham — not Mac Jones — get snaps in open part of Patriots practice

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Quarterback Bailey Zappe and practice squad rookie Malik Cunningham took snaps in the portion of the New England Patriots practice that media were allowed to watch on Wednesday.Starter Mac Jones and third-stringer Will Grier, who was cut and re-signed in the past week, did not get any reps with reporters watching. Zappe and Jones both declined to speak to reporters.“(Zappe) looked good,” receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “Him going out there, moving the chains, throwing the ball. He looked good.”Jones was benched — for the fourth time this season — in a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.“I’m not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position,” coach Bill Belichick said. “It doesn’t matter what the position is. We’ll see how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go. Hopefully everybody is ready to go, see what the injury situation is, and we’ll go with who we think is best on Sunday.”Also Wednesday, Demario Douglas was listed on...

Lowell Public Schools sends letter to parents after 3 unauthorized people turned away at schools

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

In a letter to parents this week, Lowell Public Schools reminded them that no one will be admitted to any public school building without proper identification and a legitimate reason after three unauthorized people were denied entry at two schools by staff members. “The safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority. All buildings are locked and visitors must be buzzed in by staff, through a doorbell that is equipped with video surveillance,” the letter read, adding that the Lowell Police Department has been notified and is actively investigating and increasing patrols.“This is a good reminder for everyone to maintain the security of our buildings by ensuring that doors close behind you when you go in or out of the building, never prop a door open, and, of course, if you “see something, say something,” the letter read.The letter comes after the district says it was warned of similar incidents across the state during which people were also ...

Leaping NH murder suspect caught in Malden

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

Jumping from one building to another in Malden as he tried to escape authorities, a New Hampshire man wanted in connection to a fatal shooting earlier this month ran out of luck.Authorities on Tuesday arrested Giovanne Morris, 31, who allegedly shot and killed a 42-year-old man in Manchester, N.H., in the early morning of Nov. 18 near a diner in that city.Morris had eluded police for nearly two weeks until investigators determined the fugitive had been staying at an apartment on Kennedy Drive in Malden. Massachusetts State Police teamed up with a United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force to make the arrest.After members of the joint collaboration knocked the door to the apartment that Morris was staying at and announced themselves, the suspect escaped onto a fifth-floor balcony and jumped to the balcony of an adjacent apartment, according to authorities.Officers positioned outside the building observed the leap, with an arrest team then gaining access to the balcony of the initial ...

Patriots-Chargers injury report: Keenan Allen, Demario Douglas out for Wednesday practices

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

The Patriots and Chargers both practiced without their leading receivers Wednesday.Pats rookie wideout Demario Douglas sat out with a concussion, his second of the season, while Allen missed with a hurt quadricep. Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott was also limited by a new thigh injury.Both teams’ complete injury reports are below.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing new kicker amid field goal woes New England Patriots | Patriots’ Joe Cardona knows how important Army-Navy game is New England Patriots | Source: Bailey Zappe took majority of Patriots QB reps in first practice of Week 13 New England Patriots | Source: Patriots WR Demario Douglas in concussion protocol New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe leads QBs, Mac Jones sits out at start of Patriots practice Wednesday PATRIOTSDid not participateWR Demario Douglas, ConcussionRB/WR Ty MontgomeryLimited participat...

Sutton magician pleads guilty to sexual contact with, pornography of children

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

A Sutton magician for children has pleaded guilty to multiple child pornography offenses — and will soon be disappearing to federal prison.Scott Jameson, 46, a citizen of both the U.S. and Ireland, was arrested and charged with a single count of possession of child pornography in October of last year. He was indicted the following month on charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to both charges in federal court in Boston on Tuesday.The sexual conduct charge carries up to 30 years in prison, while the pornography charge carries up to 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns has scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 7.Jameson performed a high-tech brand of magic for children as young as kindergarten and as old as eighth grade that he said on his website made use of his disparate “training in gymnastics, dance, acting, and even microchip programming.”He employed similar skills in te...

Haverhill high school IT guy wreaked havoc on network after getting fired

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

That’s one angry nerd.In June, Conor Lahiff lost his job as a desktop and network manager at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill — but he didn’t take the termination sitting down.Instead, Lahiff used his administrative network privileges to deactivate 1,200 Apple IDs from the school’s account with the company — which the school used to manage its student, faculty and staff resources — as well as another 1,400 school-affiliated Apple accounts, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court in Boston.He also aimed his ire directly at his superior, the unnamed director of the school’s department of technology and information systems, as well as an IT helpdesk clerk, by deactivating their school administrative accounts and deleting their administrative accounts with an IT security vendor, the complaint states. He also shut down the school’s phone system for some 24 hours. It all amounted to an estimated loss of more than $5,000.Authorities arreste...

Lottery’s $177,752 chief marketing officer placed on paid leave

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

The Chief Marketing Officer at the Massachusetts State Lottery has been suspended with pay and without a cause offered.Lottery CMO Edward Farley has been out of the office since early November, according to an agency spokesperson. No reason was given for Farley’s temporary ouster from his $177,752 per year position, nor was an end date for his leave provided.“He is currently on paid administrative leave, effective November 8,” a lottery spokesman told the Herald when asked to respond to rumors of Farley’s removal. “As a matter of policy, the Lottery does not discuss personnel matters.”A spokesperson for State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who oversees the state lottery, referred questions on the matter to lottery staff.Farley has been with the lottery since at least 2015, serving as both assistant executive director and chief administrative officer before taking the role as the head of the agency’s marketing efforts in the summer of 2022.At the end of October, the lottery’s marketin...

Light rain expected in San Diego area through Friday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego area has transitioned to a cloudy and cool middle of the week, so expect on and off light showers through Friday.An area of low pressure moving across California will bring chances of rain along with gusty westerly winds and cooler temperatures the next couple of days. Around 1 p.m., radar showed a few pockets of rain moving through central and southern parts of San Diego County. Light rainfall accumulations are expected with these passes which has caused models to trend downward in recent runs. December Nights: What to know about the two-day event at Balboa Park A tenth up to half an inch of rainfall is expected for beaches and inland valleys by Friday morning. Mountains could get up to three-quarters of an inch of rain in that same time frame.Best chances for rain will be late Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with southern parts of the county receiving higher accumulations.Snow levels remain relatively high with this system, but are exp...

Shoppers, watch out for these scams this holiday season

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- They seem reasonable, they look exactly like a vendor you trust and the offer is just too good to resist. The FBI is putting out a warning about the potential to be scammed. It happens all year, but especially during the holidays. Whether it’s through charity, online shopping or social media, we all need to do some investigating before clicking.FBI Public Affairs Officer Kira Boyd offers this guidance: “Social media scams, online shopping scams, we all see those really cool deals from a vendor. You want to be wary of those. Don't want to click on those ads because a lot of times, scammers." December Nights: What to know about the two-day event at Balboa Park With the ease and popularity of performing most tasks online, it’s not hard to see how one can become a victim. Last year, San Diegans lost $2.6 million to scams, and more than $320,000 of that total happened during the holidays.“It's the method that’s changed, the technique that scammers use," Boyd adde...