IN THE VERY BEST OF HANDS: Teen Stoner Says He Hacked CIA Director’s AOL Account
Posted: October 19, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, U.S. News | Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Global Panic, Hacker (computer security), James R. Clapper, Social Security number, United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Intelligence Community, United States Office of Personnel Management Leave a comment
“I can’t believe he did this to the head of the CIA…the problem with these older-generation guys is that they don’t know anything about cybersecurity, and as you can see, it can be problematic.”
CIA Director John Brennan’s private account held sensitive files — including his 47-page application for top-secret security clearance — until he recently learned that it had been infiltrated, the hacker told The Post.
“I think they’ll want to make an example out of him to deter people from doing this in the future.”
Other emails stored in Brennan’s non-government account contained the Social Security numbers and personal information of more than a dozen top American intelligence officials, as well as a government letter about the use of “harsh interrogation techniques” on terrorism suspects, according to the hacker.
The FBI and other federal agencies are now investigating the hacker, with one source saying criminal charges are possible, law enforcement sources said.
“I think they’ll want to make an example out of him to deter people from doing this in the future,” said a source who described the situation as “just wild” and “crazy.”
“I can’t believe he did this to the head of the CIA,’’ the source added. “[The] problem with these older-generation guys is that they don’t know anything about cybersecurity, and as you can see, it can be problematic.”
In a series of phone conversations with The Post, the hacker described himself as an American high school student who is not Muslim and was motivated by opposition to US foreign policy and support for Palestine.
He wouldn’t reveal his name or say where he lived but made good on a promise to tweet “CWA owns John Brennan of the CIA” as a means of verifying his control over the @phphax Twitter account….(read more)
Source: New York Post
Additional reporting by Danika Fears
