There’s a story hitting the wire services about business school applicants taking advantage of a security hole in an application called ApplyYourself to see if they had gained acceptance before the official letters were mailed out.

Harvard was one of those susceptible to the exploit, and Kim Clark, the business school dean, has stated that no one who attempted to access this information would be admitted.

Sheesh. Sometimes I get really tired of people blowing computer exploits out of proportion because of embarrassment. C’mon, this is Harvard Business School, producer of some of the most unethical business people on the planet. There is anecdotal evidence that Harvard even encourages this behavior.

Good business people are drawn to action. Good business people take advantage of situations, and good business people thrive on information. Here was a situation where someone could learn whether or not they were accepted, and then they could change their plans accordingly. There was no way for them to change the result of their acceptance, and I cringe at the label “hackers” applied to these potential students.

If I was hoping to go to Harvard, I would like to know as soon as possible if I made it. If I did, I could look for a place to live, make travel arrangements, etc. If I didn’t, I could focus on my other options. Nothing malicious, just a need to know.

Instead Harvard, and other schools, were embarrassed. Embarrassing those in power is much worse than actually stealing anything. So I guess those students did get an education, after all.