Episode
03 June 2018 Official episode · Official transcript
hacktivism black hat
The episode documents Finn’s unauthorized access to a school’s shared files, the principal’s Twitter account, and the school website, followed by disclosure of personal data and juvenile legal consequences.
Topics: Exposed school shared folders and improperly accessible servers, Credential reuse across Twitter and a school website, Unauthorized access and account takeover, Web administration page discovery with Admin Panel Finder, Cloud copying of files to reduce a local download trail, Publication of sensitive personal information, MAC-address-based device attribution, School BYOD and wireless-network security, Juvenile cybercrime investigation and legal consequences
Links published on the Darknet Diaries episode page. Not LLM output.
No Sources heading on this episode page.
Qualified statements from this episode, not graph facts.
Finn school hacking incident ATTRIBUTED_TO Finn
The school hacking incident is attributed to Finn; he later describes carrying out the account and website compromises.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“Finn now has logged into the school’s main website as the principal.”
Finn school hacking incident INITIAL_ACCESS_VIA school WiFi network
Finn and another student initially explored the school’s WiFi networks while trying to find the WiFi password.
Explicit Confidence 93% · Finn EP 17 Details
“There’s two WiFi networks; you have the BYOD which is the Bring Your Own Device policy and then you have the WiFi that was only for the teachers.”
Finn EXPLOITS exposed shared folder
Finn accessed an exposed shared folder/server that allowed users to view files associated with another person’s computer.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Finn EP 17 Details
“This shouldn’t be open like this.”
“You were able to see what they had downloaded, what they were holding on their computer”
Finn school hacking incident INVOLVES exposed shared folder
The incident involved the school’s exposed shared folder, which exposed files from the principal’s computer.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“That shared folder happened to be the principal’s computer.”
Finn USES Google Drive
Finn used Google Drive to copy files from the exposed folder without directly downloading them.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I would get the folder and open Google Drive on the browser and I would copy and paste the files into there”
Finn USES Data exfiltration
Finn copied files from the principal’s exposed folder into Google Drive, describing this as a way to avoid a download paper trail.
Derived Confidence 96% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I would copy and paste the files into there, that way there was no – I guess you could say, paper trail of me actually downloading the files.”
Finn USES credential reuse
Finn tried passwords found in the principal’s password document against the principal’s Twitter account and later reused the Twitter password on the school website.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I go through the list of passwords. I tried the first one on his Twitter”
“what if he’s using the password for his Twitter for this?”
Finn used the principal’s Twitter credentials to access and post from the principal’s Twitter account.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I look back down at my tablet and all I see is ‘Twitter would like to use your location.'”
“This fucking worked.”
Finn USES Admin Panel Finder
Finn scanned the school website with Admin Panel Finder to locate an administrative login page.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I first scanned the page using this app called Admin Panel Finder.”
Finn COMPROMISES school website
Finn logged into the school’s official website as the principal and altered the principal’s profile and biography.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“Finn now has logged into the school’s main website as the principal.”
“Finn’s access only allows him to change the principal’s bio.”
Finn school hacking incident COMPROMISES school website
The incident resulted in unauthorized access to and defacement of the school’s main website.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I wiped everything. His picture, that was deleted off this website. His biography, that was deleted.”
Finn used Pastebin to publish links containing private school-related documents and information.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“Finn went on to post links to Pastebin where he was posting private documents.”
Finn USES unauthorized account access
Finn gained unauthorized access to the principal’s Twitter account and the school website using credentials found in an unprotected password document.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Finn EP 17 Details
“I see at the bottom of the text document he has a Twitter password.”
“I looked back down at my tablet and I’m in.”
Finn school hacking incident INVOLVES unauthorized account access
The incident involved unauthorized access to the principal’s Twitter account and the school’s website.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“I was able to access the Twitter feed of the principal.”
“Finn now has logged into the school’s main website as the principal.”
Finn school hacking incident INVOLVES Data exfiltration
The incident involved copying and publicly posting student, employee, parent, and other private information.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“He then posted the principal’s Social Security Number and other private info.”
“I posted the list of everybody’s e-mail and then everybody’s password.”
Finn says the tablet’s apps came from an app he thinks was Bugtroid, which contained apps used for penetration testing.
Uncertain Confidence 82% · Finn EP 17 Details
“The apps on it were from this app – I think Bugtroid.”
Finn USES penetration testing
Finn used a tablet configured with applications he described as being used for penetration testing.
Derived Confidence 86% · Finn EP 17 Details
“It was an app that had a bunch of the apps used for penetration testing.”
Finn school hacking incident INVOLVES MAC address
The school linked Finn’s tablet to the incident through a matching MAC address.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 17 Details
“After three hours the school did determine the tablet was used in this hack because of a matching MAC address.”
Works mentioned in the transcript. Distinct from show-note sources.
Model gpt-5.6-luna · prompt 1.5.19 · schema 1.5.19 · 2026-09-13T03:46:26.686299+00:00