It was really just a matter of time. Since the speculation broke that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, currently running for vice president on the Republican ticket, might be using a private Yahoo account for state business, it was a certainly that someone would hack into that account.
In the event it was a group called the Anonymous, which has had prior tangles with the Church of Scientology. Using a proxy service they found their way into the Governor’s account, and published five screenshots, an address book and two digital pictures of Palin’s family on the Wikileaks site, known for its regular whistle-blowing.
What prompted this? Rumors that Palin was using a personal account to conduct official state business. While personal mails can be deleted, under law, all official mails have to be archived. Palin is currently under investigation for possible abuses of power in Alaska.
Among the mails posted is a communication with the state’s deputy governor, and the pictures have not be published before. Since the attack, two addresses – gov.palin@yahoo.com and gov.sarah@yahoo.com – have been taken down, the BBC reports.
The McCain campaign responded to the leak by saying:
"The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them."
It’s believed that hackers used the CTunnel proxy service to try and obscure their tracks, and the FBI is now seeking access to records. Apparently, the hackers were able to gain access to Palin’s account by using the Yahoo Mail password reset service and information widely available on the Internet.
