David Kernell of Tennessee found out the hard way that getting into someone else’s email account is considered hacking. He has been indicted for accessing Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s personal Yahoo! email account.

Not only did he change her password by answering a few personal questions, he posted the info on a message board. Things including the account’s new password, family member cell phone numbers, and family email addresses.

Dude. NOT cool.

By the way, Kernell is is the son of a Democratic state legislator. Makes it even more amusing. But still not cool.

One of Palin’s spokespeople mentioned they are sure that authorities will send a “clear signal” that email accounts can’t be “hacked into with impunity.”

Right. Because every hacking case gets indicted that quickly (even if the suspect turns themselves in). All this really tells people is that if someone knows you well enough, or you’re a public figure, a person could answer generic security questions and get into your account.

Makes you feel like your accounts are really secure doesn’t it?

[source] Image: Newscom

Post from: Simply Dumb

The Citizens Against Government Waste detail the worst in pork barrel spending annually and as always, they’ve found some doozies. How about more than $700,000 to study the habits of a California olive fruit fly? Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, takes full responsibility for that one.

But contrary to political rhetoric, Republicans fare every bit as badly as Democrats in these reports. Rep. Virgil Goode’s (R-Va.) brought us a $98,000 bill for a walking tour of Boydton, Va. The bustling metropolis of Boydton has 454 people in it. It took Goode longer to sign his name on the bill than it would take to walk the tour.

Other amazingly efficient uses of our tax dollars included a Lobster Institute and the Rocky Flats, Colorado Cold War Museum. For being the wealthiest nation in the world, we find some Simply Dumb ways to make use of our money.

Post from: Simply Dumb