“Stoners” Hacked CIA Director’s Personal E-mail

“Stoners” Hacked CIA Director’s Personal E-mail

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service are investigating reports that a hacker has gained access to the personal email accounts associated with both CIA Director John Brennan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, CNN reports, citing unnamed sources.

The New York Post reported on Sunday that a couple of self-described “stoner high school students” claimed to have breached the non-governmental accounts, which contained Social Security numbers, a 47-page security clearance application, “personal information of more than a dozen top American intelligence officials,” and more.

Soon after, the Hackers’ twitter account posted a redacted version of a spreadsheet bearing the personal data for U.S. officials and others. An non-redacted version soon followed, although if genuine, is likely not a recent document.

In a series of phone conversations with The Post, one of the hackers 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.

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.

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.

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