Michelle Malkin » The story behind the Palin e-mail hacking

The story behind the Palin e-mail hacking

By Michelle Malkin • September 17, 2008 07:31 PM

I mentioned an infamous group of hackers whose Internet bulletin board was the gathering place for those who bragged about and publicized the Sarah Palin private e-mail hacking.

A tech-savvy reader who monitors the hackers’ site e-mailed me a detailed explanation of how it went down, who was responsible, and how someone with a conscience warned a friend of the Palin family of the crime (language warning):

I missed the original incident, but monitored the discussion and repostings afterward to see what I could learn about what had happened and who was responsible.

There are several misconceptions and errors in most accounts of this story, including your post. Most significantly, the perpetrator(s) were not members of an infamous group of hackers. I don’t blame you for misunderstanding this, because in all the media coverage regarding the war with Scientology the media has completely failed to explain what Anonymous is.

Anonymous is not exactly a group. It is people using the umbrella of a web discussion board for cover to be as offensive, funny, strange, or whatever as they want.

Here’s the short version: there is a site called 4chan.org. It is an image posting site based on a popular Japanese site. The site contains multiple boards, each of which is dedicated to a particular subject. The most notorious of these boards is called /b/. /b/ is the board dedicated to random images. /b/tards, as its denizens are called, are interested only in their own amusement. Their sense of humor runs the gamut from sick to cruel to merely strange. Lolcats, as made famous by http://www.icanhascheezburger.com, originated on /b/. A lot of memes start there. There is a lot of racist humor — pictures of excited and happy black people in proximity to fried chicken abound. There is a lot of pornography. Sometimes it’s child pornography, although posting that is moderator grounds for banning — no, it’s not a pedophile ring; /b/tards post it because they think doing so is funny.

4chan does not log participants. Most people don’t use or have usernames, and post instead as “Anonymous.” And every so often, a number of /b/’s anonymous denizens decide to make somebody’s life hell. Sometimes it’s a random person who offends /b/’s sense of propriety. Sometimes it’s a forum dedicated to a serious topic. Sometimes it’s Scientology. And Tuesday, it was Sarah Palin. Or it would have been.

Sarah Palin’s email account was hacked by one person. Not a group.

This person read her emails, then posted the username and password on /b/. This happened at about 4 in the morning on Tuesday. The idea was that the sea of Anonymous /b/tards would download the emails, upload porn, and cause all manner of mischief. Anonymous is not a group of hackers. Anonymous is more like gremlins. They are hyperactive adolescents in search of amusement and joy, which they often get by upsetting people and making messes. That’s what was happening here. Anonymous did not hack the account. A hacker tried to throw Sarah Palin to Anonymous. Not all of Anonymous was having it. One person threw a crowbar in the works. Other /b/tards were displeased to miss a chance at the lulz. The moderators stepped in. The thread was deleted.

Later, other individuals created threads reposting screencaps of emails and the inbox, and put together a collection of these files. All mentions of these were purged by the moderators. So then some bright /b/tards decided to email what little stuff they had to the media.

That’s pretty much it.

This afternoon, in a thread that was later deleted, an individual claiming to be the original poster gave his account of what happened. I’ve attached screencaps. Here’s the text. The original poster used the name “rubico.” The linked email address for the poster was rubico10@yahoo.com.

This is what rubico said:

rubico 09/17/08(Wed)12:57:22 No.85782652

Hello, /b/ as many of you might already know, last night sarah palin’s yahoo was “hacked” and caps were posted on /b/, i am the lurker who did it, and i would like to tell the story.

In the past couple days news had come to light about palin using a yahoo mail account, it was in news stories and such, a thread was started full of newfags trying to do something that would not get this off the ground, for the next 2 hours the acct was locked from password recovery presumably from all this bullshit spamming.

after the password recovery was reenabled, it took seriously 45 mins on wikipedia and google to find the info, Birthday? 15 seconds on wikipedia, zip code? well she had always been from wasilla, and it only has 2 zip codes (thanks online postal service!)

the second was somewhat harder, the question was “where did you meet your spouse?” did some research, and apparently she had eloped with mister palin after college, if youll look on some of the screenshits that I took and other fellow anon have so graciously put on photobucket you will see the google search for “palin eloped” or some such in one of the tabs.

I found out later though more research that they met at high school, so I did variations of that, high, high school, eventually hit on “Wasilla high” I promptly changed the password to popcorn and took a cold shower…

>> rubico 09/17/08(Wed)12:58:04 No.85782727

this is all verifiable if some anal /b/tard wants to think Im a troll, and there isn’t any hard proof to the contrary, but anyone who had followed the thread from the beginning to the 404 will know I probably am not, the picture I posted this topic with is the same one as the original thread.

I read though the emails… ALL OF THEM… before I posted, and what I concluded was anticlimactic, there was nothing there, nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped, all I saw was personal stuff, some clerical stuff from when she was governor…. And pictures of her family

I then started a topic on /b/, peeps asked for pics or gtfo and I obliged, then it started to get big

Earlier it was just some prank to me, I really wanted to get something incriminating which I was sure there would be, just like all of you anon out there that you think there was some missed opportunity of glory, well there WAS NOTHING, I read everything, every little blackberry confirmation… all the pictures, and there was nothing, and it finally set in, THIS internet was serious business, yes I was behind a proxy, only one, if this shit ever got to the FBI I was fucked, I panicked, i still wanted the stuff out there but I didn’t know how to rapidshit all that stuff, so I posted the pass on /b/, and then promptly deleted everything, and unplugged my internet and just sat there in a comatose state

Then the white knight fucker came along, and did it in for everyone, I trusted /b/ with that email password, I had gotten done what I could do well, then passed the torch , all to be let down by the douchebaggery, good job /b/, this is why we cant have nice things

The “white knight fucker” was the /b/tard who thought that going through Sarah Palin’s email wasn’t cool. He logged in, changed the password, and sent an email to a friend of Palin’s warning her and letting her know the new password. Unfortunately, he then posted a screenshot of this email to let the other /b/tards know their fun was over. He failed to blank the password, and they all tried to log in and change the password — which tripped the automated Yahoo! freeze. Since then, the account has been deleted. “Rapidshit” refers to rapidshare.com — i.e., rubico wanted to download the emails, put them into one file, and put that file up on rapidshare for /b/tards and the world at large to download. But he panicked, or didn’t know how to download the emails, and so pawned that task off on Anonymous, which he didn’t realize wasn’t monolithic and in his favor.

As Paul Harvey would say, “And now you know…. the rest of the story.”

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#459520

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:48 pm, PercyJ said:

And right now Obama is probably changing his passwords from 1…2…3…4…5

“Sounds like the code some idiot would have for their luggage”
#459524

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:51 pm, ajmontana said:

Ha! now Rove just served up a big platter of rump for Colmes……
Your embarrassing yourself alan!
rove you magnificent b….!!!!

roflmao

It’s Killin em and
I Love it!!!

McCain/Palin 08′
#459526

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:51 pm, vickisoup said:

aj, did you just see Karl Rove carve up Alan Colmes? Oh, it was beautiful. Of course, Alan cut to commercial with his panties in a bunch and his tail between his legs.
Ha!
#459527

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:52 pm, vickisoup said:

Oh, sorry aj! We must have been typing at the same time.
#459529

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:52 pm, ajmontana said:

lol, it is a beautiful thing vic.
#459530

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:53 pm, ajmontana said:

ahahahhahahahhahahahha!!!!!
#459538

On September 17th, 2008 at 9:58 pm, CO2 Producer said:

Wow, what a story. I need a shower now.

Despicable.
#459541

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:00 pm, ajmontana said:

Rove said to catch the hacks and throw em under the bus… i agree….
Roves 100 times smarter than alan clones…. ha!

It’s Killin em and
I Love it!!!

McCain/Palin 08′
#459546

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:04 pm, Madam President said:

HAHAHA! 4CHAN MEMBERS!? I KNEW IT!

I wonder if this /b/tard will get caught? They’ve done a lot of stuff (posting flashing .gifs with vivid colors on an Epileptic Seizure support site, raids on Scientology, etc.), but I’ve never heard of them ever being apprehended.

Of course, any member of the “intarwebs” with “troll’s remorse” will simply repeat this mantra, “I did it for the lulz, I did it for the lulz..”

Some of the stuff those guys have done have left me in stitches, but this is going a bit too far.
#459549

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:12 pm, aikidoka said:

What Obama inspires, aint it special?
#459559

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:24 pm, PKAmmoTroop said:

/b/tards, shoulda guessed. These are the folks that the left are feverishly recruiting because a) the rhetoric gets them excited and b) they’re too stupid to fact check the rhetoric.
#459563

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm, Sqeek said:

Just following up…

http://www.tnstatehousedems.com/view_rep.php?id=32

Could his David be…no, I don’t believe it.

I doubt I’m on the right track here.
#459564

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm, Right_Wired said:

If these /b/tards really thing they are anonymous, they’d better think again.

Every sever, EVERY server logs every action on that server. Every access, every post, every file modification, every file access.

That server is in Fresno, and it will be in the hands of Secret Server before the week is out.
#459566

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:30 pm, Wayfaring Stranger said:

…there was nothing there, nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped,…

This, to me, is the key point in the hacker’s post; Greta Van Susteren has a poll on GretaWire.com, wanting to know if viewers think the hacking “was a harmless prank” or if it “was a political dirty trick.” MM’s post here cinched it – political dirty trick.

…did you just see Karl Rove carve up Alan Colmes?

It was beautiful to behold.
#459569

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:32 pm, rlwo2008 said:

“They are hyperactive adolescents in search of amusement and joy, which they often get by upsetting people and making messes. That’s what was happening here.” What an apologetic crock.

Oh, well let’s just have these poor little hyperactive adolescents put on ADHD medication, spanked on their poor little rears, and sent to time out. Then they can have the rest of us clean up their messes. Or, better yet, shut their foul nests down and give them life sentences, which wouldn’t bother me one bit. Hell, I’m even for death sentences. Ask how long do we want to continue nurturing anti-social, borderline, narcissistic, and histrionic personality disorders in our once proud country?
#459570

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:33 pm, rlwo2008 said:

Me? Not much longer.
#459572

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm, bird said:

This part would be entertaining if it wasn’t so pathetic and hapless as also, reckless:

“…and it finally set in, THIS internet was serious business, yes I was behind a proxy, only one, if this shit ever got to the FBI I was fucked, I panicked, i still wanted the stuff out there…”
#459581

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:40 pm, bird said:

It’s not only strong passwords that matter, but obviously as this tale tells, it’s those “answers” to those “security questions.”

Which is why those two areas should never make any sense. If you escape logic in those answers, bypass logic altogether, there’s nothing for anyone to piece together based upon actual life information.
#459583

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:48 pm, bird said:

On September 17th, 2008 at 8:20 pm, Byantine said:

According to Wikipedia, the Gawker Media Network might be raking in $2 million a year.

How much of that is from porno-spam? I bet a large portion of it is.
#459592

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:54 pm, Jim M. said:

Right after they read the perpetrator his rights, they need to ask him whether he prefers the taste of feathers or foam rubber. Only proper to make sure the pillow he is going to be biting for the next 5 or more years agrees with him…..
#459596

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:56 pm, FireBlogger said:

I read the Gawker post and the comments. The defense for post seems to stand on the possibility the Governor used the account for State business.

Their premise is false and they knew it was before they posted it. The hacker said as much in his narrative.

“I read though the emails… ALL OF THEM… before I posted, and what I concluded was anticlimactic, there was nothing there, nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped, all I saw was personal stuff, some clerical stuff from when she was governor…. And pictures of her family”

So Denton and his crew knew before they constructed the post that there was no state business within.
They are screwed and know it. Maybe not as screwed as the kid who hacked the account but there will be a fair amount of scrutiny coming their way.
#459600

On September 17th, 2008 at 10:58 pm, bird said:

Advise people include these in .htaccess file:

SetEnvIf Referer 7chan\.org ban
SetEnvIf Referer ebaumsworld\.com ban
SetEnvIf Referer gawker\.com ban
SetEnvIf Referer 4chan\.org ban
#459604

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:00 pm, bird said:

FireBlogger said:

I read the Gawker post and the comments. The defense for post seems to stand on the possibility the Governor used the account for State business.

What, Gawker is now the judge, jury and Special Prosecutor of Governors’ private email use?

Gawker’s grabbing at a pathetic straw, trying to come up with whatever might sound right but everyone else recognizes it isn’t.

And from the content that they posted from Palin’s account (emails), there’s nothing in there that Gawker can even TRY to point to to justify it’s woeful, stupid excuse.
#459611

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:08 pm, jangar said:

Ahh, the new American Left…

The same ones who go ape sh*t over the Patriot act, Bush and evesdropping!
#459617

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:14 pm, MichaelO said:

I would think it important to express appreciation for the ‘White Knight’ in the group. He tried to do the right thing, in an environment that is pretty hostile to it.

The leftists are actually trying to justify this outrage as a hunt for nonexistent communication of nonexistent criminal activity that Palin might have participated in while in office.
#459618

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:17 pm, bird said:

Hmmm…this from one of “rubicon”’s websites, about himself:

http://apocalypticvisions.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 15, 2003
…My name is (I removed his name here) am 15 a white cacasian male i live in memphis, TN. My favorite and only hobby is chess, more like an obsession. I am not afraid to say that i have acute depression and have been institutionalized twice, one at th age of 9 in Texas and one this past year. I have been strugleing with this for my entire life…” – Posted by: david / 12:04 AM

He’d be 20 years old now…

If that statement is true (who can say from online personna’s alone), then “rubicon” is on shaky ground even before the whole “fear the FBI” part.
#459620

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm, sandyb said:

Best line of the evening:

Rove: Alan, you’re embarrassing yourself.
#459621

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm, Sqeek said:

Bird–

Yes, I posted that earlier in the thread.

There’s also a TN state representative with a son bearing that name.
#459622

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm, bird said:

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:14 pm, MichaelO said:

I would think it important to express appreciation for the ‘White Knight’ in the group. He tried to do the right thing, in an environment that is pretty hostile to it.

I AGREE. I had the very same reaction to “White Knight F—–”. That they’d also then email a friend of Palin’s to advise of the situation was very considerate, indeed.
#459623

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:20 pm, bird said:

There’s also a TN state representative with a son bearing that name.

Aaaiiiieeeee….
#459625

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:25 pm, bird said:

I also don’t buy the whole “it was an idiot/disturbed kid who did this” excuse. More like a useful idiot, but still a useful one.
#459627

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:28 pm, amerpun said:

We need to follow up on this lead we have via “bird”. Anyone find anything else on rubico10? The fact the potential hacker’s father is a Democratic legislator is just too precious.
#459628

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:31 pm, amerpun said:

Rubico10’s YouTube Page. There’s a video uploaded (the profile lists his age as 20 as well) of him playing the guitar.
#459629

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm, Sqeek said:

OTOH, this might also be our “rubico”

Note the reference to “lulz” and “under proxy”

The screencaps show that rubico used Ctunnell

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/User:Rubico
#459630

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm, Sqeek said:

amerpun–

Just click the links I posted earlier in this thread
#459633

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:37 pm, Sqeek said:

And check out this rubico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Rubico

Note the membership in the “Project Chess” group.

Our David K. plays chess
#459635

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:42 pm, Texhoma said:

I strongly recommend Sarah Palin either read Kim Komando about strong passwords. Kim has some very good ideas.

Microsoft.com (Security) also has good advice on making strong passwords, and provides a password tester.

If she doesn’t use those sites then she should get a good random password generator program and use it.

Since the Federal law for this is only a misdemeeanor with a 1 yr. sentence, the State of Alaska need to take this and put each person responsible in the State Prison for the maximum of 5 yrs. with no parole.
#459636

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, OneMonkeysUncle said:

Now, all we need is some to PROVE that Yahoo! doesn’t USE Times New Roman on its Inbox listing page, and you’ll have proved the WHOLE THING IS A FRAUD!

I have two words for you Mighty Malkin Mousketeer Detectives: Jamil. Hussein.

Next?

(I hope, amidst all this gnashingeth of teeth and rentingeth of garments, you’ll also call for the prosecution of Governor Palin, who it appears was breaking the law by sending and/or receiving official state business via an unsecure, non-governmental server, thereby circumventing the FOIA…

And misdirecting, ad hominem attack in three… two…)
#459642

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:53 pm, amerpun said:

I have two words for you Mighty Malkin Mousketeer Detectives: Jamil. Hussein.

Three more words for you: Scott Thomas Beauchamp.

(I hope, amidst all this gnashingeth of teeth and rentingeth of garments, you’ll also call for the prosecution of Governor Palin

The hacker himself said he read every email and found nothing incriminating. Besides, would this even be accepted as evidence in a court? It was obtained illegally.
#459643

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:55 pm, Jim M. said:

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, OneMonkeysUncle said:

well, the tin foil bedwetter contingent has weighed in.

There is no issue in using a personal e-mail account.

First, a subpoena can and usually does cover multiple addresses – the language usually reads something like “any and all electronic communications pertaining to”…You are not looking at one sourse, but everything from all sources pertaining to a certain subject.

A FOIA request, as you may not know, is nothing like a subpoena. Any sensitive information is typically protected from disclosure. And in almost every case, if something is indavertently contained in a personal e-mail it winds up in an official communication somewhere along the line.

Second, States, much like most corporations, have strict policies against using government or company facilities for personal matters. In a corporation, it is grounds for termination. With government, it is grounds at least for an ethics violation and often times dismissal.

To avoid even the appearance of abuse, most government and corporate officials use both business and personal e-mail accounts. And if there is any question as to whether it is an official or personal matter, prudence dictates it be treated as a personal matter. Better to error on the side of personal business than to inadvertently violate written policy or regulation.

In this economy, it is difficult to find a safe area for your investments. based on some of the comments here and eleswhere, I’d recommend going into the tin foil market. Looks like a booming business!
#459644

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:56 pm, Republicanvet said:

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, OneMonkeysUncle said:

Now, all we need is some to PROVE that Yahoo! doesn’t USE Times New Roman on its Inbox listing page, and you’ll have proved the WHOLE THING IS A FRAUD!

I have two words for you Mighty Malkin Mousketeer Detectives: Jamil. Hussein.

Next?

(I hope, amidst all this gnashingeth of teeth and rentingeth of garments, you’ll also call for the prosecution of Governor Palin, who it appears was breaking the law by sending and/or receiving official state business via an unsecure, non-governmental server, thereby circumventing the FOIA…

And misdirecting, ad hominem attack in three… two…)

Read the post above OMU, or have someone read it to you, there is an admission that the hacker wanted to find something incriminating against her, but he admitted he did not.
#459645

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:57 pm, txvet2 said:

The hacker himself said he read every email and found nothing incriminating. Besides, would this even be accepted as evidence in a court? It was obtained illegally.

That would only matter if she were a liberal Democrat. As a conservative Republican, she must be guilty of something, no matter whether they have any evidence or not.
#459649

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:09 am, 29Victor said:

I’m remembering the scene from Wargames where they come and pick up Matthew Broderick. But this kid’s adventure isn’t going to end with a happy, anti-nuclear tic-tac-toe game.

I’m suggesting a new screen name for rubico: 1sc3wdd00d
#459657

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:28 am, purplepeep said:

OneMonkeysUncle said:
I have two words for you Mighty Malkin Mousketeer Detectives

Actually you’ll have to share your words with the Secret Service and the FBI, Laddie, but they’ll be talking to a lot of Obamites on this so ya will have to wait a bit.

Jamil Hussein.

Since he has as much existence in the real world as the tooth fairy and Santa Claus, give us a shout when you see him! The Democrat-Obamite responsible for the Emailgate break-in, OTOH, will be quite easy to find since 1) Unlike “Jamil”, he actually exists and 2) he used typical Obama “uh…um…uh…above his paygrade” logic in thinking he could hide behind a proxy:

“The 25-year-old webmaster and entrepreneur is the operator of Ctunnel.com, the browsing proxy service used by the group that hacked into the vice presidential candidate’s personal email account and exposed its contents to the world. While he has yet to examine his logs, he says there’s a good chance they will lead to those responsible, thanks to some carelessness on their part.

“Usually, this sort of thing would be hard to track down because it’s Yahoo email, and a lot of people use my service for that,” he told El Reg in a phone interview. “Since they were dumb enough to post a full screenshot that showed most of the [Ctunnel.com] URL, I should be able to find that in my log.”
==

The only remaining question on Emailgate then is:

“What does the Obama campaign know about the Email break-in and when did they know it?”
#459659

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:32 am, Romeo13 said:

On September 17th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, OneMonkeysUncle said:

Grrrr,,,, Freedom of Information act only covers FEDERAL comunications, not STATE… that would have to be covered under STATE law.

But please, don’t let the law get in the way of your silly accusations…
#459662

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:36 am, Sqeek said:

29Victor–

I remember that scene, too.

In fact, 4chan surfers have a cutesy name for that black van.

They call it the “partyvan”

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=partyvan
#459664

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:39 am, MichaelO said:

They may have located the guy in Memphis, Tennesses. But I will not list the guy’s name; to do so would be to deny him the privacy he criminally took from the Palins. But it doesn’t keep one from listing things that are known about him.
#459667

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:42 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

I can see how it all goes down from here on……

“Dudes, you’re never going to believe it!! I was sitting here watching German porn and reading Sarahs emails for the 50th time…. and then get this!!!

These really cool dudes came blasting through my front door with badges and flashbangs and all!!

They said I won like this free all-expense trip to Eastern Kansas or something. I think they said Leavenworth??? Anyways I’ve got like 15 years of free time to chat with you guys…… so come visit me sometime! CALL ME!!!!!! “
#459676

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:54 am, purplepeep said:

Sqeek said:
In fact, 4chan surfers have a cutesy name for that black van.
They call it the “partyvan”

I posted an image of the 12chan party van back in comment # 25 (I think it’s #25). The chan sites have have been long known for hosting illegal content, to say they have a well-deserved “bad reputation” would be a massive understatement. If this leads to them being permanently shut down, they will have done themselves and (more importantly) the world a great favor in committing the Emailgate crime.
#459677

On September 18th, 2008 at 12:57 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

Can anyone say ‘Vince Foster’ ?
#459680

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:04 am, chicagojedi said:

Many on the posts have it wrong – he didn’t crack a password. If the confessor is to be believed, he simply used the “Lost Password?” function available on anything online that uses a password function. Most security questions are so general and obvious anyone who knows you can answer the questions correctly.

The problem here is the product of bad parenting. A collection of uneducated, irresponsible delinquents willing to do anything to have a good time. By his own admission the confessor didn’t think about the risk until well after committing the crimes. One may have committed the crime, but many aided and abetted. This is the product of a the left’s public schools. Young adults rotten to the core mindlessly committing crimes.
#459683

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:08 am, purplepeep said:

purplepeep said:

Sqeek said:
In fact, 4chan surfers have a cutesy name for that black van.
They call it the “partyvan”

Note I used the plural, Squeek – chan sites – there’s a stinking pile of them, the only difference is the number in the domain. But if ya been around long enough you already knew that, lol. The people who run the chan sites deserve a lot of “attention”. Hope this incident helps them get it!
#459685

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:09 am, Anachronda said:

#122 Texhoma:

Strength of the password doesn’t matter. They got in through the “I forgot my password” recovery option, which asked questions he was able to find online.
#459687

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:12 am, Sqeek said:

purplepeep–

Yeah. /b/ is just the most notorious. But there’s a gaggle of ‘em.

They got their close-up in this story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03trolls-t.html
#459696

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:23 am, purplepeep said:

chicagojedi said:
Many on the posts have it wrong – he didn’t crack a password. If the confessor is to be believed, he simply used the “Lost Password?” function available on anything online that uses a password function. Most security questions are so general and obvious anyone who knows you can answer the questions correctly.

Since much of Palin’s bio is public, it provides clues. e.g. for hint questions like “Where were you born?”, “Your mother’s maiden name”, etc. For questions like that I make up something like – Birthplace: North Upchuck, Bosnia or Mother’s maiden name: Nibwhatgubble. But most people use real info.

The problem here is the product of bad parenting.

Nah. If we’re talking about a 9 year old I would tend to agree. But when a person is an adult, s/he is the one who is totally responsible for what they do, good and bad. I know many folks who had awful parents but who are fine people. Conversely, I’m sure you know of people who had great parents and family, but they still turned out rotten.
#459698

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:32 am, purplepeep said:

Sqeek said:
purplepeep–

Yeah. /b/ is just the most notorious. But there’s a gaggle of ‘em.

They got their close-up in this story:

Hadn’t seen that story, thanks.

What’s kind of sad/funny is how you can be googling, looking up some info, using the most innocent of terms and end up on sites that were not what you were looking for.

Also, misleading keywords and metatags can getcha if you don’t check out a site’s description first!
#459699

On September 18th, 2008 at 1:32 am, pgtips said:

I read though the emails… ALL OF THEM… before I posted, and what I concluded was anticlimactic, there was nothing there, nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped, all I saw was personal stuff, some clerical stuff from when she was governor…. And pictures of her family

And that my friends is the sound of the Left getting pwned.

Can the same be said about any other politician’s private email account?
#459718

On September 18th, 2008 at 2:05 am, Ordinary Coloradan said:

Someone does this to me, I’m going hunting for them. Personally. And live in person.

They don’t seem to realize there are logs, RADIUS and other things that let you cement an IP to a physical location and a person responsible for it.

I hope they land these anarchists in the slam for a long time in PMITA Federal Pen.

And note_ these are not teens, these are typical early 20’s to mid 30’s types.
#459721

On September 18th, 2008 at 2:07 am, zorro said:

I say roast them all, every last one of them (those who participated in the invasion of privacy). Throw the book at them, hard.
#459731

On September 18th, 2008 at 2:20 am, mkellogg said:

So how many hours will it take for the feds to get to this guy?

A whole day has passed and Obama hasn’t said a word of condemnation about this. More evidence of what a coward he is.
#459736

On September 18th, 2008 at 2:43 am, jcjimi said:

Makes me feel much better that I answer “In case you lose your password” questions with nonsense. Make up one nonsense phrase and always use it. “Ilikemoldybanannas” for instance for mother’s maiden name (and any other question).

It’s good practice even for non public types. A stunning amount of ID theft is perpetrated by someone the victim knows well enough to get a good start on these questions.
#459739

On September 18th, 2008 at 2:48 am, puhiawa said:

change.
it is a shame that Bush is so scared of Democrat criminals.