From: security curmudgeon (jericho@attrition.org)
To: first last (lookingforhelp911@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:46:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: HELP


: I'm looking for a knowledgeable computer person to hire. It's for
: something harmless but very important to me could you help with any
: suggestions it would be very much appreciated, THANKS!!
:  --HELP911

That is a bit vague..

From: security curmudgeon (jericho@attrition.org)
To: first last (lookingforhelp911@yahoo.com)
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 08:26:29 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: HELP


: Sorry for the vague email that I last sent let me try to explain, I am a
: college student that has been struggling with college math for the past
: 3 years first I took elementary algebra then intermediate algebra and
: now I can not get out of college algebra for the life of me. I have
: completed my program except for my math course and if I never complete
: it which that's the way it seems it's going I will never get my degree.
: So what I am looking for if it is possible is for somehow to into my
: file and for it to show that I have taking and passed the college
: algebra. I don't know if this is something that is possible, I'm am not
: very good with computers so I don't know what can and can't be done and
: perhaps I have seen to many movies I'm just looking for help. So that's
: what I'm looking for. Please forgive me if this is a stupid question
: that is being asked but when a person get desperate a person looks for
: anything that could help. Thanks for you time.

I'm not going to bullshit you (which I would normally do for random mails
actually), but this is basically a movie thing. Yes, it is possible to
break into a system and get access to grades, maybe change them, maybe do
so in several computers so it would actually work and not be noticed the
next day. However, you are talking about a fairly dedicated job that
would take a lot of information and be risky. This isn't just a casual
hacking job or one done in an hour or two unless your college is wide
open, in which case you should probably find a better college anyway.

I sympathize with your math problems. The only class I failed in college
was an early math class. You had to get past some serious math three or
four years into your program before you could hope to get a professor, let
alone one that spoke English as a first language. My college expected me
to learn algebra and beyond from teaching assistants who couldn't order a
burger from a fast food joint, let alone communicate complex math problems
to freshmen and sophomores. By the time I could figure out what they were
saying, I had no time to figure out and learn the math they were trying to
teach. The system sucked in big ways and was completely unfair.

Anyway, my advice to you is twofold; 1) don't solicit complete strangers
to commit felonies for you, as it may bite you in the ass worse than a
failing grade in algebra 2) you could pay for a dozen math tutors and
learn the math for the same price as you could hire a *reliable* hacker to
do what you need.