Hack

TATTLE'S FAVE British tabloid, News of the World , has apologized to Sienna Miller for hacking into her cellphone messages. What? Hacking's not allowed? Why must they make this job so hard? Michael Silverleaf , a lawyer for News Group Newspapers, the publisher of News of The World and part of the Rupert Murdoch "news" empire, offered "sincere apologies" to Sienna in London's High Court yesterday. The company acknowledged that the information obtained through hacking should never have been published.

If you tried to donate online to the Republican slate for Washington Township Council early this week, you got a whole lotta Shy Love instead. The "donate" icon on the official website of candidates Chris Del Borrello, Giancarlo D'Orazio, and Daniel Morley ( www.wtfreshstart.com ) hooked up would-be donors with Ms. Love, an adult-video performer who exhibits no signs of shyness. The apparent cyber attack gives the phrases political hack and dirty politics a new twist.

IF ANDREW BREITBART hadn't already been exposed as a hack, maybe you could understand how his slander of Shirley Sherrod could get such traction. He is one of those slugs who emerges from the swamps every few years, passing themselves off as journalists and working to discredit perceived enemies with half-truths, innuendos and outright lies. He is a wholly owned subsidiary of the conservative movement, as are his Web tools, Breitbart.com and Biggovernment.com. He is not a prostitute.

Three Haddonfield Memorial High School students pleaded guilty Thursday to charges connected to hacking into their school's computer system and changing grades, authorities said. A 14-year-old and 16-year-old student gained access to the system between January and March and changed some of their own and other students' grades. The two used keystroke recording software to retrieve passwords, which allowed them to enter secure areas of the district's computer system, according to Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

A Seattle-based security firm says it needed just hours to hack into a version of the laptop tracking system that the Lower Merion School District used, suggesting that tech-savvy outsiders could have commandeered the computers and watched students through their webcams. The company, Leviathan Security Group, said it launched the review after realizing that some of its clients were using the same system, LANrev, that drew an international spotlight to Lower Merion. Leviathan executives said they had no reason to believe anyone had breached Lower Merion's system.

A Seattle-based security firm says it needed just hours to hack into a version of the laptop tracking system that the Lower Merion School District used, suggesting that tech-savvy outsiders could have commandeered the computers and watched students through their webcams. The company, Leviathan Security Group, said it launched the review after realizing that some of its clients were using the same system, LANrev, that drew an international spotlight to Lower Merion. Leviathan executives said they had no reason to believe anyone had breached Lower Merion's system.

SO MUCH television, so little time: Two of my favorite actors - and the former co-stars of the Philadelphia-set "Hack" - popped up on two of my favorite shows this week. Andre Braugher ("Men of a Certain Age") made a return appearance to Fox's "House" in one of those therapy sessions that seem to take place as much in the mind of Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) as in the real world of 50-minute hours that don't include flashback footage. But it was Philadelphia's David Morse - who had his own memorable arc on "House" - whom I hadn't necessarily expected to see turn up in New Orleans on HBO's "Treme.

Two Haddonfield Memorial High School computer whizzes were charged Wednesday in connection with a grade-changing scheme. The 14-year-old and 16-year-old are accused of hacking into the school's computer system and changing some of their own and other students' grades between January and March. Authorities said the two had used keystroke recording software to retrieve a teacher's password to enter secure areas of the district's computer system. Both teens were charged with accessing information.

A group of students caught hacking into the Haddonfield Memorial High School computer system this week were involved in a grade-fixing scheme, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The extent of the breach is unclear, but the hackers changed at least some of their grades and those of other students, authorities said. "They were able to get access to the school district's record-management system," Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Laughlin said. "There seems to have been some grade changes made, but it doesn't seem to have gone beyond that.