Imran Uddin used a keyboard spying device to hack into university computers and up his exam marks . A student who tried to cheat his way to a better degree by hacking into the university computers and changing his marks has been jailed . Imran Uddin , 25 , who was studying science , bought keyboard spying equipment on the internet which he then connected to a number of university computers . Through the software , which recorded key strokes , he was able to find out the passwords that staff were typing in to log in to the computers . He then used those passwords to log on to their accounts himself . After hacking into the university computer system , Uddin changed the marks that he had been given for previous assessments . On one paper , he upped his mark from 57 per cent , a lower second grade , to 73 per cent , a first . He carried out his plot using keyboard ‘ shadowing ’ devices which look like a USB stick and can be bought for as little as £49 on the internet . He plugged these into the back of a number of staff computers at the University of Birmingham where he was studying . The device records everything which is typed into the keyboard and saves the data . Uddin , from Birmingham , was in his final year of a bio-science course . At the time of the hacking he was expected to achieve a 2:2 degree . He was jailed for four months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after admitting six charges which were in breach of the Computer Misuse Act . Sentencing him , Judge James Burbridge said it was unclear why Uddin had tried to change his grades . Judge Burbridge said : ‘ For reasons not entirely clear to me , whether it was monetary , or pride , or a desire to outperform others , you decided to cheat and you formed a settled intention to do that . I consider your actions were planned and persistent. ’ He warned that Uddin ’ s behaviour could have undermined public confidence in the degree system . The judge added that he felt compelled to put Uddin behind bars as a ‘ deterrence ’ to others . Judge Burbridge said : ‘ This kind of conduct undermines , or has the potential to undermine , public confidence in the degree system , set up by this university . I have decided I can not pass a suspended sentence because there needs to be an element of deterrence. ’ Uddin was found out after staff discovered the devices when several computers were upgraded on October 7 last year . When they removed the protective casing from the computers in the bio-science building , the spying devices were discovered . Staff then began checking other university computer equipment and a further three spying devices were found . Madhu Rai , prosecuting , said : ‘ It is effectively a case where the defendant has hacked into a number of computers at the university where he was studying for a degree in bio-science. ’ Miss Rai said one tracker had been attached to a computer in a ‘ staff only ’ area to obtain the password of employee Christine Chapman , who had access to exam grade software . Uddin ( police mugshot , left , and outside court , right ) , who is married , was yesterday jailed for four months after admitting six breaches to the Computer Misuse Act . Birmingham Crown Court ( pictured ) heard how Uddin attached a 'shadowing ' keyboard device at the back of a number of university computers in order to steal staff passwords . An investigation by university staff revealed that Uddin had changed the marks on five pieces of his coursework . His home was searched by police and analysis of his computer revealed that he had carried out searches for keyboard cheating devices on the online marketplace eBay . Balbir Singh , defending , said Uddin had felt pressure because he was the first person in his family to have gone to university . As a result of the need he felt to succeed , ‘ he could not see clearly ’ , Mr Singh said . He added : ‘ It is very unlikely that any other university will touch him after this . This is not a case where he was hopelessly failing and was not going to be able to succeed . ’
Imran Uddin , 4 months , used a keyboard spying device to obtain staff passwords . Final-year student hacked into exam system and upped his own marks . He increased one of his bio-science grades from 57 per cent to 73 per cent . Uddin admitted breaking Computer Misuse Act and was jailed for 25 .