Slashdot Mirror


"Anonymous" Hacks Palin's Private Email

netbuzz writes "'Anonymous,' best known for its jousts with Scientology, has apparently hacked Sarah Palin's private Yahoo email account. Contents, including sample emails, an index, and family photos, have been posted by Wikileaks, which calls them evidence that the GOP vice presidential candidate has improperly used private email to shield government business from public scrutiny." Note that there is no easy way to tell if the material on Wikileaks is genuine or a hoax. Update by J : Genuine.

31 of 1,733 comments (clear)

  1. I've looked. Check Gawker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    So far only two emails, some personal photos, a contact list and some inbox screenshots have been posted. Nothing incriminating.

    1. Re:I've looked. Check Gawker by slaker · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm fairly certain that this is legit. I'm also fairly certain that members of Anonymous are not all based in the USA and may or may not have anything to fear from the Secret Service.

      However, one of the features of a Yahoo Mail account is the ability to download a backup copy of your mailbox as a single file. I believe the file format is the one used by Outlook Express, rather than the more universal .mbox format, but still, if the "hackers" didn't think to grab everything, I would be shocked.

      I'd be willing to bet that someone out in internet land has a copy of Sarah Palin's whole mail spool right now.

      --
      -- I wanna decide who lives and who dies - Crow T. Robot, MST3K
  2. Row row by Shin-LaC · · Score: 4, Informative

    Fight the power.

  3. Confirmed by her campaign by benjackson520 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/group-posts-e-m.html

    It has been confirmed by her campaign and Amy McCorkell, the sender of one of the emails that has been posted.

    1. Re:Confirmed by her campaign by LordKronos · · Score: 3, Informative

      No...I think the summary (courtesy of uberotto) is that she lied and said she wasn't using her personal email for government business and this "proves" otherwise (assuming you don't question the validity of these email, at least part of which has already been confirmed as valid).

  4. Re:No way to tell? by LoverOfJoy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Slashdotted record?

  5. Re:The crossed the line this time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This was on CNN a few minutes ago and they confirmed that the Secret Service was already involved in the investigation.

  6. Re:No way to tell? by DigitalisAkujin · · Score: 3, Informative
  7. Slashdotted; check the Coral Cache by KingSkippus · · Score: 3, Informative

    The site's either been Slashdotted, or the Secret Service has had the people who run it killed. In either case, you can see the article via the Coral Cache if you want.

  8. Something or Other by fm6 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The "something or other" suggested is conducting public business using private email. For Federal officials, that's illegal, because it amounts to hiding your paper trail. Don't know if Alaska has a similar law for State officials, but even if it doesn't, hiding her actions is not what you'd expect from the reformer Palin claims to be.

    Of course, even if proven, Palin will just add these charges to her list of Things That Never Happened, like her initial support for the Bridge to Nowhere.

  9. Re:No way to tell? by DigitalisAkujin · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ok here's the full list of Wikileaks domains:

            * http://www.wikileaks.org/
            * https://secure.wikileaks.org/
            * https://wikileaks.cx/
            * http://wikileaks.org.uk/
            * http://www.cauce.us/wiki/Wikileaks
            * https://secure.wikileaks.be/
            * https://secure.freedomsbell.org/ â" alternative name to bypass the Great Firewall of China
            * https://secure.libertypen.org/ â" alternative name to bypass the Great Firewall of China
            * https://secure.ljsf.org/ â" alternative name to bypass the Great Firewall of China
            * https://secure.sunshinepress.org/ â" alternative name to bypass the Great Firewall of China

  10. Re:The crossed the line this time by creysoft · · Score: 5, Informative

    What the hell are you talking about? Anonymous the name attributed to (and embraced by) the many and varied denizens of 4chan's Random (/b/) board. They rose to fame with their protests against scientology, but anyone who has ever visited /b/ could tell you that:

    1) Anonymous is a 'group' only in the loosest sense of the word. There's no organization, no leader, and no real agenda. It works more like flash mobs. One person suggests something, and if enough people go along with it to achieve critical mass, then it's epic. Otherwise, it's just a few internet nerds making idiots out of themselves.

    2) Anonymous has no real code, moral stance, or ethical guideline. /b/ frequently delves into such subjects as drug use, murder, petty crime, and child porn.

    3) Anonymous does everything they do for their very own personal amusement. Any claim to be standing on principle is really just part of the joke. Since anonymous is kind of an intersection of Slashdot and MySpace when it comes to demographics, you'll find you agree with many of their 'positions.' However, don't expect any real loyalty from them.

    --
    Formerly GNU/Anonymous Coward. This message has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
  11. How they did it - it was the "Tinkerbell hack" by kroyd · · Score: 5, Informative
    From the file "protip.txt" in the rapidshare archive:

    account recognizes
    b-day 2/11/64
    ZIP code 99687
    for password change.

    The zip code is of course that of Wasilla, Alaska.

    It would seem that the republican VP candidate is at least twice as security aware as Paris Hilton. Paris' had just one security question, the name of her dog (Tinkerbell), while Palin had two extremely obvious security questions.

    Of course, two times "nothing much" is not a lot at all..

  12. Re:The crossed the line this time by Hungus · · Score: 4, Informative

    In that case, you should worry if she is a dispensationalist and not if she is creationist as only dispensationalists believe in a rapture. BTW Woodrow Wilson was a creationist, fundamentalist and dispensationalist.

    --
    Bad Panda! No Bamboo for you! In matters of importance ACs will not be responded to. Want to say something critical,OK
  13. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by LaskoVortex · · Score: 3, Informative

    And I'll wager Democrats have been doing it for just as long.

    Two wrongs don't make a right.

    --
    Just callin' it like I see it.
  14. Re:The crossed the line this time by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Informative

    There's no evidence that Anonymous was behind the epilepsy thing, and many have suggested that Scientologists did it to discredit Anonymous.

  15. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by EaglemanBSA · · Score: 4, Informative

    A state court recently upheld evidence in a case (I can't remember exactly when it was on Slashdot, but within the last month) in which a man stole information from a server and introduced it as evidence. If that's not enough legal precedent, then maybe a better route is to compare such a gathering of data to what happens to citizens by the NSA every day?

    --
    Quiz: True or False -- On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your middle name?
  16. Re:The crossed the line this time by DittoBox · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, it's not. The US Secret Service working out of DC that protects former PsOTUS and FLsOTUS for up to ten years upon exiting their respective offices (it used to be lifetime), candidates for president are covered under this as well.

    They also had a number of duties that until only recently put them under direction of the US Treasury and oversaw most if not all of the investigations therein. Before their move to the DHS they were assigned to investigate federal computer crime laws, a jurisdiction not removed with their transfer of ownership, as it were. Although publicly perceived as only protecting the president they are much like a handful of other somewhat small federal law enforcement agencies that do many other things than just what the public thinks they do. They were originally created in 1865 to go after currency counterfeiting, only being given the duty to protect presidents-and only informally-in 1901.

    --
    Good. Cheap. Fast. Pick Two.
  17. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by Pantero+Blanco · · Score: 4, Informative

    You thought wrong.

    Evidence seized illegally by law enforcement is inadmissible, unless it can be proven that they certainly would have come across it anyhow.

  18. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by phanboy_iv · · Score: 3, Informative

    Of course not. But the OP's tone indicated he considered this a vice particular to Republicans, which is facile, of course.

  19. Clear Evidence of Government us of Personal Email by Punchinello · · Score: 4, Informative
    Here is a small sample of the email messages related to governemnt business. I like the last one about a confidential ethics matter:

    Ruaro, Randall P (GOV) Draft letter to Governor Schwarzenegger / Container Tax Thu, 8/28/08 12KB Read

    Ruaro, Randall P (GOV) FW: DPS Personnel and Budget Issues Tue, 8/19/08 11KB Read

    Ruaro, Randall P (GOV) Court of Appeals Nominations Sat, 8/16/08 11KB Read

    Nizich, Michael A (GOV) another records request Fri, 8/15/08 5KB Read

    Nizich, Michael A (GOV) FW: CONFIDENTIAL Ethics Matter Thu, 8/7/08 5KB Read

    --

    Remember... ZG9uJ3QgZm9yZ2V0IHRvIGRyaW5rIHlvdXIgb3ZhbHRpbmU=

  20. Posting near the top.... by ptbarnett · · Score: 5, Informative

    There's a posting here from someone that observed the entire episode:

    The story behind the Palin e-mail hacking

    Pre-emptive warning: it's a partisan blog, but the explanation is quoted in full.

    Short version:

    • After Palin's email addresses were publicized, the account was locked by all the people trying to login.
    • Someone went through the password recovery dialog and was able to guess answer "Where did you meet your spouse?".
    • He looked through all the emails, was disappointed that he couldn't find anything incriminating.
    • Announced it on /b/
    • Someone else reading /b/ changed the password and notified a friend of Palin.
    • The account has since been deleted.

    The original cracker attributed his /b/ posting to another yahoo.com address. He claims to have done all this through a single proxy, but admits that he is a bit scared of the FBI at the moment.

    1. Re:Posting near the top.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      If you believe ANYTHING on /b/ you have no idea what that board is about.

      That includes the person that thinks they know what happened.

      No facts, no truth.

    2. Re:Posting near the top.... by Walkingshark · · Score: 4, Informative

      Um, first of all if you want to know the truth, ask Michelle Malkin what it is and then believe the exact opposite. Thats her super power. Second, check this excerpt out from the article:

      Palin has come under fire for using private e-mail accounts to conduct state business. Critics allege that she uses the account to get around public records laws, as the Bush administration has also been charged with doing.

      An index of the e-mails in her inbox, which includes sender, subject line and date sent, indicates that Palin received numerous e-mails from her aides in the governor's office, some of which could be work-related.

      An e-mail from her press secretary, Meghan Stapleton, indicates the message is about the "Motor Fuel Tax Suspension".

      The subject line of an e-mail from Randall Ruaro, her deputy chief of staff reads, "Draft letter to Governor Schwarzenegger." Another one from Ruaro says, "Please approve" and another one is about "Court of Appeals Nominations."

      Other e-mails from Ruaro indicate they're about employee and budget issues for the DPS. DPS is how Alaska refers to its Department of Public Safety.

      Palin's chief of staff, Michael Nizich, sent her an e-mail August 22 with the subject line, "Using Royalty Oil to Lower the Cost of Fuel for Alaskans." The subject line of another e-mail from Nizich reads "CONFIDENTIAL Ethics Matter."

      E-mails from the governor's scheduler, Janice Mason, indicate that they're about Palin's schedule for the week of August 10.

      --
      The world you experience is only a close approximation of reality.
  21. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by eh2o · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes, its the Alaska Public Records Act.

  22. wikileaks down - files at cryptome by e**(i+pi)-1 · · Score: 4, Informative
  23. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by Lobster+Quadrille · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is no law against her having and using a personal Yahoo account. However, when she is conducting official business, as the head of the state of Alaska, transparency is required.

    --
    "The cup is in turn designed for holding hot or cold liquids, and has an open rim and closed base." --US Patent #5425497
  24. Re:No way to tell? by stinerman · · Score: 4, Informative
  25. Re:The crossed the line this time by SilentChris · · Score: 3, Informative

    Thank f'ing god someone understands how this works.

    The fact that "Anonymous" has somehow been given a group designation baffles me. It's a bunch of internet trolls (mostly males, aged 14-24) that are happy -- ecstatic -- that they are getting media attention. They're just a bunch of individuals laughing at the fact that people take them so seriously.

  26. Re:Intended purpose of hacking the e-mail by inKubus · · Score: 4, Informative

    She's not a private citizen, she's a public person in a public position. By conducting work business on the Yahoo account, it basically became the State of Alaska's email address, NOT Sarah Palin's. So, while it's illegal to break into email, that information should be considered public records anyway. It was her mistake, and someone busted her. Maybe they "hacked" or whatever, but who cares? It was a good hack because it broke hidden public records out. Justice is served. Information wants to be free. This is way bigger than the individual now. He may perish for hacking, but the information will live on forever, and Justice will be served to Palin for breaking the Public Records laws.

    --
    Cool! Amazing Toys.
  27. Re:The crossed the line this time by VJ42 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Obama is a socialist.

    I live in the UK; I can assure you that he's actually a centrist, It's just that centre ground of US politics is so far to the right (compared to global politics), that anyone who expresses even the mildest left leaning thoughts is labeled a socialist over there. When he starts campaigning for nationalisation of major industries, then he'll be a socialist.

    --
    If I have nothing to hide, you have no reason to search me