Subscription Center
Sep 19, 2008 02:40 PM | 18
Details (as well as plenty of rumor and speculation) continue to emerge about how messages and images from Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's Yahoo! e-mail account were made public earlier this week. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service are investigating the incident, but several news outlets and blogs report the attack was a multi-step process made possible by weaknesses in the password reset feature (found on many Web sites—not just Yahoo!) as well as proxy servers that allow people to cover their tracks as they navigate the Web.
The hackers may have exploited the password resetting system of Yahoo's e-mail service using details about Palin's life—her birth date and zip code, for example—pulled from sources freely available on the Web, BBC News reported today.
A story by ComputerWorld's Gregg Keizer provided a bit more detail, reporting that on Wednesday, someone identified only as "rubico" claimed on the 4chan.org message board to have gained access to Palin's e-mail by using Yahoo's password reset feature. Keizer also reports that the FBI has contacted the operator of the Ctunnel proxy service (which serves primarily students or workers who want to access sites that are normally blocked by their network administrators), because the person (or persons) who accessed Palin's e-mail account did so through Ctunnel (a move intended to keep law enforcement from tracking illegal activity back to the culprit's IP address).
Perhaps the best blow-by-blow description of what may have happened is provided on the blog of conservative syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin by one of her readers.
In a case of self-scrutiny, bloggers and other Web users searching for the culprit have linked the handle "rubico" to the 20-year-old son of Tennessee Democratic State Rep. Mike Kernell. The Tennessean Thursday reported that Mike Kernell confirmed that his son, David, a University of Tennessee-Knoxville student, is at the center of an Internet discussion into the hacking of the personal e-mail of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The article, however, does not say—despite reports on several Web sites, including here—that David Kernell admitted to hacking Palin's e-mail or that Mike Kernell named his son as the culprit.
(Image courtesy of iStockphoto; Copyright: Alex Slobodkin)
Tags:
security,
e-mail,
Web,
Palin,
hacker
More News Blog:
Next: LHC helium leak will shut collider down for two months
Previous: DNA test shows Google's Brin has Parkinson's gene
See what we're tweeting about
sciam Shooting the Wheeze: Whooping Cough Vaccine Falls Short of Previous Shot s Protection http://t.co/1InXukatXn sciam Dissecting the controversy about early psychological response to disasters and trauma http://t.co/zfB4xzTQAK
BoraZ GIF Creator, Steve Wilhite, Receives Lifetime Achievement Webby Award http://t.co/fR8cc4Xj3s
Deadline: Jun 30 2013
Reward: $1,000,000 USD
This is a Reduction-to-Practice Challenge that requires written documentation and&
Deadline: Jun 29 2013
Reward: $7,000 USD
The Seeker for this Challenge desires proposals for chemical methods that could rapidly degrade a dilute aqueous solution
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
18 Comments
Add CommentHAH! She can't even protect her email, never mind the nation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHer personal email was not used to run government business. This is just a matter of a hacker deciding to make trouble by invading privacy and having it published. Hope he pays the fine and time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWait a second... I mean, this is all quite enlightening, but what's this article doing on this site?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOh yes it was. Governor Palin actively utilized a Yahoo account through which official business was conducted. This point is well established and not in dispute.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI agree with temporarilyjason. Why is this subject on SciAm?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisScientific American has been on a slow dumbing down path for a while. It seems to be also spreading laterally into "not science" areas.
The rot set in when "amateur scientist" ended. I just wonder where it will end. Straight faced articles on intelligent design perhaps?
I imagine that this is here to show us that Palin doesn't understand technology in the same way that she doesn't understand science (aka is a creationist). But to be honest I find news of her is beginning to get boring since she seems shallow and artificial.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTemporarilyjason is right.... this article doesn't even fit into a political science category.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisfoxbat is in error about how Governor Palin was using her email account. One of the discoveries related to this entire episode is that Governor Palin and other government officials in Alaska were using non-governmental email accounts so as to avoid state sunshine laws.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDoesn't anyone else see the REAL cause for alrm here besides their ignorant views on life???/ How many of you have a Yahoo account or Google, or MSN or whatever account? A hack is a hack and I am beginning to believe from all these posts that most of you are hacks...get a life and quick allowing the media to continue to fill your lives with bain numbing news that is CREATED soley to sell commercials. You're being duped...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis really ISN'T a science topic; unless we're talking about "the science of hacking" . But some one must really hate Sarah Palin to hack into her e-mail account. I have to admit that I am not much fond of her myself. I think that she was dishonest with some of her attacks on Obama during John McCain's convention. I'm not sure who to vote for at this point, but hacking Palin's e-mail account isn't going to make anyone prefer Obama more. In fact: some people could think the worse of his supporters; even though he is preferred by an assortment of individuals.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt seems to me that America's value have declined, and everbody just thinks it is fine to be immature, deceptive, greedy, and sneaky. Why don't we all grow up, demand that from the media, the public and the candidates. I love America but I am seriously fearful that we have become a nation accepting of unacceptable behavior...democrat, republican, or otherwise
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of America needs to get some values, especially the media! Deception, dishonesty, & greed, seem to be acceptable behaviors. They encourage this kind of behavior along with WALLSTREET! The media runs the elections and who is going to get into office. Until the power of the media becomes weak, I don't think capitalism and democracy will exists much longer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDemocratic Representative Mike Kernell’s son, David Kernell, was caught by authorities. Apparently he had reset the password and gained access to the GOP VP candidate Palin's personal Email account, according to CNN. He had taken a screenshot of her entire email directory which includes E-mail addresses, pictures, birthdates and phone numbers of family members, and more. After turning himself in, he pleaded not guilty despite the fact that he took the information he hacked and posted it to a public Web site. To make matters worse, he also posted the new password he’d created, which allowed others to easily access Palin's E-mail themselves. David Kernell may be subject to the heat of a five-year prison term, $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release as a consequence. At the maximum of $1,500 per loan, that bail would require about 167 individual payday loans to free him from being condemned with other cellmates.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/
According to this recent release from CNN, David Kernell, the son of a member of the House of Representatives, Mike Kernell, allegedly reset the password and accessed the personal e-mail account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He also allegedly read the contents, took a screenshot of her directory, and got into her address book information. Her address book contained the contact information including cell phone numbers of family members as well as birthdates and other information. He also then allegedly posted all of this including the password on a public website. After turning himself in, he pled not guilty. Kernell faces up to 5 years in prison, 3 years of probation and supervision after release, and up to $250,000 in fines. Think about this: to pay that down, he would have to take almost 200 payday loans at the maximum allowed amount of $1,500.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/
According to this recent release from CNN, David Kernell, the son of a member of the House of Representatives, Mike Kernell, allegedly reset the password and accessed the personal e-mail account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He also allegedly read the contents, took a screenshot of her directory, and got into her address book information. Her address book contained the contact information including cell phone numbers of family members as well as birthdates and other information. He also then allegedly posted all of this including the password on a public website. After turning himself in, he pled not guilty. Kernell faces up to 5 years in prison, 3 years of probation and supervision after release, and up to $250,000 in fines. Think about this: to pay that down, he would have to take almost 200 payday loans at the maximum allowed amount of $1,500.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/
According to this recent release from CNN, David Kernell, the son of a member of the House of Representatives, Mike Kernell, allegedly reset the password and accessed the personal e-mail account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He also allegedly read the contents, took a screenshot of her directory, and got into her address book information. Her address book contained the contact information including cell phone numbers of family members as well as birthdates and other information. He also then allegedly posted all of this including the password on a public website. After turning himself in, he pled not guilty. Kernell faces up to 5 years in prison, 3 years of probation and supervision after release, and up to $250,000 in fines. Think about this: to pay that down, he would have to take almost 200 payday loans at the maximum allowed amount of $1,500.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/
According to this recent release from CNN, David Kernell, the son of a member of the House of Representatives, Mike Kernell, allegedly reset the password and accessed the personal e-mail account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He also allegedly read the contents, took a screenshot of her directory, and got into her address book information. Her address book contained the contact information including cell phone numbers of family members as well as birthdates and other information. He also then allegedly posted all of this including the password on a public website. After turning himself in, he pled not guilty. Kernell faces up to 5 years in prison, 3 years of probation and supervision after release, and up to $250,000 in fines. Think about this: to pay that down, he would have to take almost 200 payday loans at the maximum allowed amount of $1,500.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/
Sarah Palin, Vice Presidential Candidate, has been a target for media criticism more than she has for praise for her service and character. For instance, she appeared on Saturday Night Live last weekend after the show had spoofed her. The jeers continue, as the press continues to chip away at her performance as governor of Alaska to her 17 year old daughter becoming pregnant out of wedlock, and taking shots at her character. Furthermore, some liberal pundits maintain the position that the country will fall into shambles if John McCain were to be elected into office, then become incapacitated. Many of these diatribes are little more than character assassinations. A good number of Alaskans admire Sarah Palin. Her record shows her commitment to disabled persons, with a good deal of work with people afflicted with Down syndrome, autism, and other conditions that never received the care they needed and deserved. Many citizens champion her advocacy of personal responsibility and financial freedom, including her opposition to measures that would do away with cash advances, which are a legitimate resource that many working people have relied on and continue to do so as a resource for tough times to help them weather the storms they experience.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPost Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team
Feed Back: 1-866-641-3406
Home: http://personalmoneystore.com/NoFaxPaydayLoans.html
Blog: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/