Would it be possible to hack a university's database to insert a fake?
Would it be possible to hack a university's database to insert a fake transcript for a student? Would it be harder at a prestigious school? What you called a database is the SIS (student information system). Although anything is possible, your chances of hacking an SIS would have been easier 20 years ago, since there was a lot up upgrades during the 90s, and these 1990s era systems made intrusions more difficult. These 90s era systems are now being replaced by better/stronger systems. And as with any system, there are not only security measures to deter hacking, but logs and reports and so on that make any changes to the system visible. Plus, of course, business processes that must be followed for changes and updates to take place. The prestige of the school wont matter, all schools use the same 5 or 6 systems, they come with built in security features. On my view, a mix of bribery and social engineering would be the way to go. Back when I worked in tech, there was a guy in quality control who would just pick up a box of component for inspection, and they would end up in the trunk of his car, and he would sell them on the black market. He was able to get away with this for at least 2 or 3 years, until some special components went missing, and the plant manager got a private detective to investigate. But the point is, as the quality inspector, he had the run of the place, so basically used social engineering. That is the sort of guy you need to find to pull off this nefarious scheme.