DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Viewing website HTML code is not illegal or “hacking,” prof. tells Missouri gov.

Posted on October 26, 2021February 1, 2026 by Dissent

Jon Brodkin reports:

The cybersecurity professor who helped uncover the Missouri government’s failure to protect teachers’ Social Security numbers has demanded that the state cease its investigation into him and stop making “baseless accusations” that he committed a crime.

As we reported on October 14, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson threatened to prosecute and seek civil damages from a St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist who identified a security flaw that exposed the Social Security numbers of teachers and other school employees. The state is also investigating Shaji Khan, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who helped the Post-Dispatch journalist verify the security vulnerability.

Read more on Ars Technica.


Related:

  • Kept in the Dark -- Meet the Hired Guns Who Make Sure School Cyberattacks Stay Hidden
  • Under Pressure: Exploring the effect of legal and criminal threats on security researchers and journalists
  • Pysa shuttered its leak site before it ever dumped data from more than half a dozen schools. Here's what we know so far.
  • A Missouri Reporter Is (Still) Getting Blamed For the Security Flaw He Exposed
  • Audits of New York schools and the State Education Department reveal ongoing significant concerns
Category: Education SectorThreats

Post navigation

← Ukrainian police detain gang who laundered funds for Russian hacking groups
Justice determines breach of confidentiality of medical records →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Telus Digital confirms breach after ShinyHunters claims 1 petabyte data theft
  • China’s CERT warns OpenClaw can inflict nasty wounds
  • Bell Ambulance data breach impacted over 238,000 people
  • Lotte Card fined 9.6 billion won for leaking users’ social registration numbers
  • Handala claims responsibility for attack on medical device maker Stryker
  • Police Scotland fined £66k for extracting and sharing mobile phone data
  • The rise of teen hackers ‘makes for a good headline’, but cyber crime activities peak later in life
  • Viral ‘Quittr’ Porn Addiction App Exposed the Masturbation Habits of Hundreds of Thousands of Users
  • New Report Finds One in Two U.S. School Districts Experienced a Cybersecurity Incident in 2025
  • Foreign hacker in 2023 compromised Epstein files held by FBI, source and documents show

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Petition filed over misuse of protesters’ data by Kenyan government and telcos
  • When Miscarriage Is Recast As Murder
  • The Government Uses Targeted Advertising to Track Your Location. Here’s What We Need to Do.
  • Santa Ana homeowner says insurance company used drone to inspect her roof without telling her
  • Ring’s Jamie Siminoff is still trying to calm privacy fears, but his answers may not help

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: Dissent.73

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net
Security Issue: security[at]databreaches.net
Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight
Signal: Dissent.73
DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.