5 ms·

Romanian hacker who claims he breached Clinton server says he spoke with FBI

48 points by testrun 10y ago

howlingfantods 10y ago
As far as I can tell, this guy guessed Sydney Blumenthal's AOL account security password and got access to his AOL email account. He then saw emails from Clinton and did an IP scan on her email server. He says he has 2 gigs of data but the article doesn't make clear whether this is from Blumenthal's AOL account of Clinton's email server. Are there anymore details? This article seems like it's dangling the word "hack" for scaremongering.
g00gler 10y ago
That's pretty crazy. Politics aside, she should definitely be indicted. They arrest us hackers for much much less.
- jonny_eh 10y ago
  What did she do wrong?
  - adrenalinelol 10y ago
    Removing classified material from the state department and storing emails on a personal server @ her house after stepping down as Sec. State. It's against the law; I'm not a lawyer, but I think this is the relevant text: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/798 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/798
    - gizmo686 10y ago
      Even before stepping down, it was wrong of here to store the emails on her personal server. I'm not sure, however, if that is criminal, civil, or legal but an OPSEC violation. There is also concerns because these servers were used (either deliberately or through incompetence) to hide documents from FOIA requests.
      - threeseed 10y ago
        It was definitely wrong but the issue is that it wasn't unprecedented. Kerry was in fact the only Secretary of State to use the State Department email address. And with regards to FOIA under the Federal Records Act it was permissible to use a private email server so long as the requisite records were preserved which it appears they were. Anyone who thinks this is some cut and dry issue is deluding themselves.
        marcusgarvey 10y ago
        >storing emails on a personal server @ her house has precedent? other Secretaries of State have done so? who?
        mistermann 10y ago
        I'd also like to know the answer to this, it seems rather unlikely to me that secretaries of state are running their own email servers, or using something like gmail for confidential emails.
        headShrinker 10y ago
        The server was maintained by the Clinton's tech guy. The deceive was housed in a utility closet off the bathroom in one of their mega houses. This isn't a gmail yahoo type deal. This is a high school kids email setup. Not professional in the least.
        howlingfantods 10y ago
        According to the State Department, Colin Powell as well as high level aides to Condeleeza Rice handle classified info on their personal email addresses. Clinton is the only one who set up her own private server though.
        rdancer 10y ago
        Source?
    - threeseed 10y ago
      From what has been shown to date storing emails on her personal server was authorized and there is no clear evidence she removed classified material. There are a lot of allegations going around but only the FBI is going to know what is true or not. But even if everything she did is true the issue is around malicious intent. That will be the key factor in whether she is indicted or not.
      - adrenalinelol 10y ago
        She didn't have a reason to have classified material on the server after she stepped down. Even if she had the OK from the administration for it during her tenure, she should have given the emails back to the government after resigning (as they aren't her property, and as mentioned are on some occasions deemed top secret).
      - marcusgarvey 10y ago
        >was authorized do you have a source for this?
        rdancer 10y ago
        Judging by your being downvoted, apparently they don't.
      - StanislavPetrov 10y ago
        >But even if everything she did is true the issue is around malicious intent. That's completely false even though that talking point has been oft repeated in the media lately. Intent is not required to be guilty of the crime of mishandling classified information. The Relevant law is 18 USC 793 >793 (f) specifically makes it a crime for anyone “entrusted with … any document … or information relating to the national defense … through gross negligence (to permit) the same to be removed from its proper place of custody.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 Aside from the fact that intent isn't required in order for a crime to have been committed, even a cursory examination of the emails clearly prove intent. >one email thread from June 2011 appears to include Clinton telling her top adviser Jake Sullivan to send secure information through insecure means. >In response to Clinton’s request for a set of since-redacted talking points, Sullivan writes, “They say they’ve had issues sending secure fax. They’re working on it.” Clinton responds “If they can’t, turn into nonpaper [with] no identifying heading and send nonsecure.” http://media.hotair.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hillary-e-mail2.jpg http://media.hotair.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hillar... Nothing says intent more then a clear and direct command to strip classifying headers off classified documents and send "nonsecure". >That will be the key factor in whether she is indicted or not. The only factor in whether or not she is indicted is unfortunately the fact that our legal system has entirely broken down. She will not be indicted by the Obama administration no matter what she does. It seems much more likely she will be impeached by the Republican Congress if she wins the election.
  - gscott 10y ago
    She signed an agreement to not give out her logins to two different classified systems to anyone else. She gave the logins to two of her staff members who then used the system for her. It was convenient for her, but the staff members explicitly did not have permission to use the highly classified systems. If they let her off on it then there will be no teeth to the agreement for anyone else.
    - newman314 10y ago
      This is news to me. Source?
      - nkurz 10y ago
        I think there is only circumstantial evidence at this point, in that Clinton's emails imply that her staff is able to forward classified information to her. Since the staff does not have a legitimate means of access, it's hypothesized that they may be using her login credentials. Description here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/03/fbi-investigating-if-clinton-aides-shared-passwords-to-access-classified-info.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/03/fbi-investigating...
- notliketherest 10y ago
  If anyone else had done what she did they would be fired at least; indeed many individuals have been fired or worse for infractions much less egregious than hers. It's like when a celebrity or athlete gets a pass in court, which we regular individuals know we'd never get away with. It just so happens that she's running for president, and half the country has to take her side while the other screams bloody murder.
  - nitrogen 10y ago
    Was the private email server set up to avoid accountability, or to avoid espionage?
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - rdancer 10y ago
      Let's put it this way: the IT guys set it to be fit for the purpose outlined by the boss. And it was a success.
    - rdancer 10y ago
      Let's put it this way: the IT guys set it to be fit for the purpose outlined by the boss. And it was a success.
- venomsnake 10y ago
  Leave aside the wrongdoing too - I am deathly scared of her terrible opsec.
partycoder 10y ago
From Fox news, the people that claim there are no-go zones in Europe ruled by caliphates... pass
- MichaelGG 10y ago
  So does the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/live/paris-attacks-live-updates/belgium-doesnt-have-control-over-molenbeek-interior-minister-says/ http://www.nytimes.com/live/paris-attacks-live-updates/belgi...
  - partycoder 10y ago
    I stopped reading news articles from Fox News due to their lack of journalistic integrity.
meeper16 10y ago
Was this an actual sendmail server sitting in Clinton's house or was it an offsite server?
- jayess 10y ago
  Apparently it was an Exchange server. It doesn't seem to have been resolved exactly physically where the server was hosted: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/09/location-clinton-email-server.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/09/location-clinton-... http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/clintons-email-hosted-on-exchange-2010-server-now-not-in-chappaqua/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/clinto... Clinton's PR machine claims that the server was in their home: http://andstillipersist.com/2015/08/new-information-on-the-location-of-the-hillary-clintonemail-com-server/ http://andstillipersist.com/2015/08/new-information-on-the-l...
  - matheweis 10y ago
    Other sources have the reason for running a private server as enabling the use of a Blackberry... Does BB work with active sync? https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons-email-scandal-took-root/2016/03/27/ee301168-e162-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons-e... edit: Oh wow, it does. http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber=000033940 http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber... So it may well have been Exchange. How awful...
    - partiallypro 10y ago
      It was an exchange server, which is a bit irrelevant to its security, were it maintained correctly. One issue is that it wasn't just an Exchange server, it was a 2003 version of the software and seemingly didn't have very good security protocols surrounding it. On a side now, I despise that Gmail dropped ActiveSync support. Hooking up Outlook is a huge pain in the ass, and it's 100% intentional.

48 points by testrun 10y ago

As far as I can tell, this guy guessed Sydney Blumenthal's AOL account security password and got access to his AOL email account. He then saw emails from Clinton and did an IP scan on her email server. He says he has 2 gigs of data but the article doesn't make clear whether this is from Blumenthal's AOL account of Clinton's email server. Are there anymore details? This article seems like it's dangling the word "hack" for scaremongering.

g00gler 10y ago

That's pretty crazy. Politics aside, she should definitely be indicted. They arrest us hackers for much much less.

jonny_eh 10y ago
What did she do wrong?
- adrenalinelol 10y ago
  Removing classified material from the state department and storing emails on a personal server @ her house after stepping down as Sec. State. It's against the law; I'm not a lawyer, but I think this is the relevant text: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/798 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/798
  - gizmo686 10y ago
    Even before stepping down, it was wrong of here to store the emails on her personal server. I'm not sure, however, if that is criminal, civil, or legal but an OPSEC violation. There is also concerns because these servers were used (either deliberately or through incompetence) to hide documents from FOIA requests.
    - threeseed 10y ago
      It was definitely wrong but the issue is that it wasn't unprecedented. Kerry was in fact the only Secretary of State to use the State Department email address. And with regards to FOIA under the Federal Records Act it was permissible to use a private email server so long as the requisite records were preserved which it appears they were. Anyone who thinks this is some cut and dry issue is deluding themselves.
      - marcusgarvey 10y ago
        >storing emails on a personal server @ her house has precedent? other Secretaries of State have done so? who?
        mistermann 10y ago
        I'd also like to know the answer to this, it seems rather unlikely to me that secretaries of state are running their own email servers, or using something like gmail for confidential emails.
        headShrinker 10y ago
        The server was maintained by the Clinton's tech guy. The deceive was housed in a utility closet off the bathroom in one of their mega houses. This isn't a gmail yahoo type deal. This is a high school kids email setup. Not professional in the least.
        howlingfantods 10y ago
        According to the State Department, Colin Powell as well as high level aides to Condeleeza Rice handle classified info on their personal email addresses. Clinton is the only one who set up her own private server though.
        rdancer 10y ago
        Source?
  - threeseed 10y ago
    From what has been shown to date storing emails on her personal server was authorized and there is no clear evidence she removed classified material. There are a lot of allegations going around but only the FBI is going to know what is true or not. But even if everything she did is true the issue is around malicious intent. That will be the key factor in whether she is indicted or not.
    - adrenalinelol 10y ago
      She didn't have a reason to have classified material on the server after she stepped down. Even if she had the OK from the administration for it during her tenure, she should have given the emails back to the government after resigning (as they aren't her property, and as mentioned are on some occasions deemed top secret).
    - marcusgarvey 10y ago
      >was authorized do you have a source for this?
      - rdancer 10y ago
        Judging by your being downvoted, apparently they don't.
    - StanislavPetrov 10y ago
      >But even if everything she did is true the issue is around malicious intent. That's completely false even though that talking point has been oft repeated in the media lately. Intent is not required to be guilty of the crime of mishandling classified information. The Relevant law is 18 USC 793 >793 (f) specifically makes it a crime for anyone “entrusted with … any document … or information relating to the national defense … through gross negligence (to permit) the same to be removed from its proper place of custody.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793 Aside from the fact that intent isn't required in order for a crime to have been committed, even a cursory examination of the emails clearly prove intent. >one email thread from June 2011 appears to include Clinton telling her top adviser Jake Sullivan to send secure information through insecure means. >In response to Clinton’s request for a set of since-redacted talking points, Sullivan writes, “They say they’ve had issues sending secure fax. They’re working on it.” Clinton responds “If they can’t, turn into nonpaper [with] no identifying heading and send nonsecure.” http://media.hotair.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hillary-e-mail2.jpg http://media.hotair.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/hillar... Nothing says intent more then a clear and direct command to strip classifying headers off classified documents and send "nonsecure". >That will be the key factor in whether she is indicted or not. The only factor in whether or not she is indicted is unfortunately the fact that our legal system has entirely broken down. She will not be indicted by the Obama administration no matter what she does. It seems much more likely she will be impeached by the Republican Congress if she wins the election.
- gscott 10y ago
  She signed an agreement to not give out her logins to two different classified systems to anyone else. She gave the logins to two of her staff members who then used the system for her. It was convenient for her, but the staff members explicitly did not have permission to use the highly classified systems. If they let her off on it then there will be no teeth to the agreement for anyone else.
  - newman314 10y ago
    This is news to me. Source?
    - nkurz 10y ago
      I think there is only circumstantial evidence at this point, in that Clinton's emails imply that her staff is able to forward classified information to her. Since the staff does not have a legitimate means of access, it's hypothesized that they may be using her login credentials. Description here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/03/fbi-investigating-if-clinton-aides-shared-passwords-to-access-classified-info.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/03/fbi-investigating...
notliketherest 10y ago
If anyone else had done what she did they would be fired at least; indeed many individuals have been fired or worse for infractions much less egregious than hers. It's like when a celebrity or athlete gets a pass in court, which we regular individuals know we'd never get away with. It just so happens that she's running for president, and half the country has to take her side while the other screams bloody murder.
- nitrogen 10y ago
  Was the private email server set up to avoid accountability, or to avoid espionage?
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - rdancer 10y ago
    Let's put it this way: the IT guys set it to be fit for the purpose outlined by the boss. And it was a success.
  - rdancer 10y ago
    Let's put it this way: the IT guys set it to be fit for the purpose outlined by the boss. And it was a success.
venomsnake 10y ago
Leave aside the wrongdoing too - I am deathly scared of her terrible opsec.

partycoder 10y ago

From Fox news, the people that claim there are no-go zones in Europe ruled by caliphates... pass

MichaelGG 10y ago
So does the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/live/paris-attacks-live-updates/belgium-doesnt-have-control-over-molenbeek-interior-minister-says/ http://www.nytimes.com/live/paris-attacks-live-updates/belgi...
- partycoder 10y ago
  I stopped reading news articles from Fox News due to their lack of journalistic integrity.

meeper16 10y ago

Was this an actual sendmail server sitting in Clinton's house or was it an offsite server?

jayess 10y ago
Apparently it was an Exchange server. It doesn't seem to have been resolved exactly physically where the server was hosted: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/09/location-clinton-email-server.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/09/location-clinton-... http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/clintons-email-hosted-on-exchange-2010-server-now-not-in-chappaqua/ http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/clinto... Clinton's PR machine claims that the server was in their home: http://andstillipersist.com/2015/08/new-information-on-the-location-of-the-hillary-clintonemail-com-server/ http://andstillipersist.com/2015/08/new-information-on-the-l...
- matheweis 10y ago
  Other sources have the reason for running a private server as enabling the use of a Blackberry... Does BB work with active sync? https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons-email-scandal-took-root/2016/03/27/ee301168-e162-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons-e... edit: Oh wow, it does. http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber=000033940 http://support.blackberry.com/kb/articleDetail?articleNumber... So it may well have been Exchange. How awful...
  - partiallypro 10y ago
    It was an exchange server, which is a bit irrelevant to its security, were it maintained correctly. One issue is that it wasn't just an Exchange server, it was a 2003 version of the software and seemingly didn't have very good security protocols surrounding it. On a side now, I despise that Gmail dropped ActiveSync support. Hooking up Outlook is a huge pain in the ass, and it's 100% intentional.