If you were in highschool at the time, really the only ethical thing to do for someone in your position is to delete all the files and shine a light on their bad security practices, but don’t say anything about it to anyone. It’s that last bit that always gets you in trouble. Absolute candor is something adults almost never want to hear from children.
Couldn’t you just rename it to something obvious so as to make people think it was gone whilst leaving all the valuable data intact. mv valuableData.whatever valuableData.thiswholethingisvulnerablefixit
Never report vulnerabilities yourself to an organization, always use a neutral, trusted third party to report it.
which organization would you use in this situation?
A pair of scissors, various magazines, and the postal service.
If you were in highschool at the time, really the only ethical thing to do for someone in your position is to delete all the files and shine a light on their bad security practices, but don’t say anything about it to anyone. It’s that last bit that always gets you in trouble. Absolute candor is something adults almost never want to hear from children.
Couldn’t you just rename it to something obvious so as to make people think it was gone whilst leaving all the valuable data intact. mv valuableData.whatever valuableData.thiswholethingisvulnerablefixit
None. Just cheat. It will prepare you for the real world better than pretending to respect the authority of morons.