Slog - Comments on Stupid Hack http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack I've accidentally dignified—or denigrated—that kid is alleged to have broken into Sarah Palin's email account. Hacker? Hardly, says our info systems administrator... Compromising Palin's Yahoo email account was just a matter of knowing the email address, and being able to guess that "Wasilla high" was what she'd entered as the place she'd met her husband, both of which were in the public record. Yahoo deserves some scorn on this point. This was less a hack than the result of pushing on a door and watching it swing open. More here.... Copyright 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:01:19 -0800 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:28:33 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Non This is what FOX News is talking about, of course, meanwhile our economy implodes while the other (semi) credible outlets discuss the challenge of getting ourselves stabilized

]]> Non http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147905 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147905 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:11:12 -0800 Comment by Lucky Boingboing.net and Consumerist.com have both featured stories on the dubious security of so-called security questions. Their general point is that anyone who knows you (ie an ex, a sibling) can answer questions such as "what is your father's middle name" and "where did you go to high school." So, yes, this kid is hardly a hacker - though I applaud his ability to gain access to Palin's email, since a request through the proper public disclosure channels would apparently have been fruitless, since she claims her Yahoo account to be her "personal" account.

]]> Lucky http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147910 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147910 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:13:28 -0800 Comment by PC You shouldn't sneak around guessing things like this. It's wrong.

And 2 wrongs etc.

]]> PC http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147911 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147911 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:15:54 -0800 Comment by notonthehill Bottom line to me is that this woman was using a non-government email account to conduct government business.

This is reason enough (among many for me) to keep her from becoming VP.

]]> notonthehill http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147914 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147914 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:17:27 -0800 Comment by hohoho green giant Meanwhile, the U.S. banking system collapses and China purchases the rights to each male born in this nation after 11/4/08.

]]> hohoho green giant http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147916 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147916 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:17:57 -0800 Comment by jrrrl i'm still shocked that they got into her private e-mail (where she conducted "private" business) and actually saved, what? two random e-mails? i am sure there was plenty of incriminating information in there that could have swayed the course of history.

]]> jrrrl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147924 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147924 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:24:41 -0800 Comment by Non LOL and spot on @4


YAHOO, no less. Thats only one step up from Hotmail

]]> Non http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147925 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147925 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:24:53 -0800 Comment by Colton My Ex guessed my password recovery question in just a few tries and then had full access to my e-mail account, Yahoo used to ask "What's your favorite food" as one of their "Security Questions"

]]> Colton http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147971 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147971 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:13:20 -0800 Comment by Julie in Chicago That was all it took to "hack" her account that she was conducting government business with? Holy shit. Anybody could have done that. This woman is truly mentally challenged.

]]> Julie in Chicago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147973 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147973 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:15:58 -0800 Comment by Bob What situation ethicists LOL.

1. It was ok cuz Yahoo shoulda had tougher security measures.
2. She was using her private email to do public business so it was ok.

It's not really hacking when the target is someone we don't like. Amazing.

]]> Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147974 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147974 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:17:44 -0800 Comment by Chris I told you that, check your comments sometime.

]]> Chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147975 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147975 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:18:21 -0800 Comment by Hotmail @10 - No, it just shows the Country how ethically and intellectually challenged Palin is. She tried to use the Bush administration trick of using outside email accounts to dodge accountability to the people of Alaska. Just didn't quite pull it off by using yahoo.

Now, I wonder what she was hiding in those emails. - Devious plans to take over the world or just Moose recipes and lists of government workers to fire because they made her mad?

]]> Hotmail http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147990 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147990 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:40:54 -0800 Comment by jrrrl @10, nobody is saying it's ethical, but it was clearly inevitable -- like if you leave a folder saying "super juicy government secrets -- do not open!" on the corner and 3rd and pike, someone's going to open it pretty fast.

people who are saying they weren't "hackers" are just arguing the terminology.

]]> jrrrl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147998 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1147998 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:48:26 -0800 Comment by John Bailo
Yes, and behind that door was a 13 year old girl writing emails to her mom.

Bzzzzt.

]]> John Bailo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148001 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148001 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:56:29 -0800 Comment by Julie in Chicago @10. You're an idiot. No one is saying that it was okay for this guy to access her account. Just as if you leave your front door wide open, that still doesn't excuse the thief who steals your TV. We are just pointing out the fact that Sarah Palin's front door was open, and inside was some pretty important shit.

]]> Julie in Chicago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148013 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148013 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:16:18 -0800 Comment by Sad Comment @14
So, how long have you been reading emails from 13 year old girls?

]]> Sad Comment http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148016 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148016 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:19:04 -0800 Comment by Beguine @10 - If I run through the middle of East Baltimore at night with a clear plastic bag full of $100 dollar bills shouting "My oh my, whatever shall I do with my lovely lottery winnings? Perhaps I will buy a new Benz as the old one has gotten dusty!" whoever grabs the money and shoots me is still a robber/murderer. However, it could perhaps be argued that I contributed to my situation.

Yes, it was wrong to hack into Palin's account, but it was woefully stupid to use something like Yahoo for official state business. What if the hacker had decided to send out fake emails from her "personal address" instead? They could have at least cause her embarrassment, at worst caused real chaos. If you're going to try to dodge the proper channels of government accountablity, at least be halfway-competent.

]]> Beguine http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148019 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148019 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:24:05 -0800 Comment by banjoboy @14: Sarah Palin knows full well your emails are not really from a 13 year old girl, you sick fuck.

]]> banjoboy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148020 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148020 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:25:34 -0800 Comment by elenchos I think it is OK to do this kind of thing to someone as bad as Sarah Palin. She's scum. I wouldn't feel sorry for Hitler if they broke into his email either. If Hitler had been alive when Yahoo! existed.

That said, all hackers are scum. We should round up all types of hackers and hacker wanna-be's and ship them to gitmo permanently. The worst are the "hobbyist" hackers who pride themselves on exploring networks and figuring out how things work. They make it that much harder to throw these criminals in jail where they belong.

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148021 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148021 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:30:16 -0800 Comment by bobcat It's Cracking, not Hacking


Todays lesson is over, armchair cowboys.

]]> bobcat http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148028 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148028 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:45:21 -0800 Comment by Hotmail I say we give the kid a hot pocket and put him in a reality show with the two guys from the next post.

]]> Hotmail http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148049 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148049 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:33:28 -0800 Comment by pork You can call it hacking, but it's more the social engineering variety. Think "Spanish Prisoner" but for bad customer service business models.

]]> pork http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148083 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148083 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:04:20 -0800 Comment by Bob Wow, thanks for making my point 12, 13, 15, 17, 19. You all make it so easy for the wingnuts with your sputtering efforts to actually say something is (hold on for the scary W word) wrong. Spare me your cognitive distortions or as those in the offender rehabiliation business call them: "stinking thinking"

]]> Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148095 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148095 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:54:45 -0800 Comment by Sad Comment Only one thing "stinking" here Bob, I recommend that you might want to try a breathe mint.

]]> Sad Comment http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148099 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148099 2008 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:58:25 -0800 Comment by Julie in Chicago Bob, you make zero sense. We are saying breaking into someone's account is wrong. Why do you have a problem with that? Come back when you can make a coherent point.

]]> Julie in Chicago http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148134 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148134 2008 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:15:05 -0800 Comment by VidCrayzee There is a humorous video take on this story here, http://beema.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/news/. 

]]> VidCrayzee http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148281 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148281 2008 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:53:17 -0800 Comment by elenchos No, wait. I am saying breaking in to Sarah Palin's email account is A-OK. Go get her! And everyone like her. Fuck Sarah Palin.

Bob, I know one way to spare you these objectionable ideas: Leave.

Fucking pussy.

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148850 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/stupid_hack#c1148850 2008 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:28:33 -0800