Who could forget when Sarah Palin’s e-mail was hacked two years ago? The “hack” was hardly that—the kid guessed her “forgot your password?” question—but the ramifications of the hack were felt far and wide. The kid, 22-year-old David Kernell, has just been sentenced to one year (and one day) in a Tennessee halfway house.
Kernell really dodged a bullet, since he was facing up to a year in prison.
Something tells me a 22-year-old 4Chan user wouldn’t exactly have a fun time in prison. No more lolcats and weekend DDOSing, for one.
One of Palin’s security questions was her birthdate, which Kernell found on Wikipedia.
This is why schools (or some other entity) should teach people to use strong passwords, and not to leave your “forgot your password?” question something like your birthdate, something no doubt easily accessible on your Facebook profile.
The lesson? Don’t hack people’s stuff, whether it’s a vice-presidential candidate or your next door neighbor.
And now Sarah Palin is a reality TV star, so it all worked out in the end.