> By your reasoning, picking a lock or guessing a combination couldn't be breaking in because you didn't literally break anything.
What reasoning? I said that "breaking and entering" can happen through an open window. My point was to modify the analogy so that the act of breaking & entering was "easy" and non-destructive bringing it closer to the level of severity in the situation that we are discussing.
Gaining access to someone's password has a much lower bar than something like picking a lock which requires a certain set of skills, and may imply a certain level of intent. The student didn't hookup a laptop to the school network and run metasploit.
The offense is an abstraction that doesn't require physically damaging any security mechanism.
By your reasoning, picking a lock or guessing a combination couldn't be breaking in because you didn't literally break anything.