Think email’s safe? You better think again
What’s going on with email? Last week, it seemed the only people with across-the-board access were Russian hackers. While Gmail users were left in the dark, they had no trouble releasing more embarrassing emails and information their authors would rather have remained private.
No, this hasn’t been a good year for email. From mysterious glitches at Silicon Valley companies to relentless Russian hackers to political candidates who aren’t careful enough with what they say, these past few months have proved email isn’t as stable, secure or reliable as many once believed.
Last Tuesday, we learned hackers had pilfered then posted several personal emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell. We could have predicted it. After all, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has said for months that she used the same email set up that Powell and Condoleezza Rice had used when each served as secretary of State.
Among the juicier details: Powell called fellow-Republican Donald Trump “a national disgrace” and said he “looks stupid trying to appeal to blacks and Latinos.” In other emails, Powell complained that Clinton aides were trying to “drag” him into the drama surrounding her private email server. But some was quite personal. Powell said that though “she is a friend I respect,” he didn’t like her “unbridled ambition,” greed and failure to be a “transformational” figure. With friends like that, who needs hackers?
Same day, the World Anti-Doping Agency reported that those pesky Russian hackers had hit its servers. They released medical information about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams and others.
Poor Biles had to explain that she takes medication for ADHD and that she had permission to use the normally prohibited substance during the Rio Games.
Wednesday, House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul told CNN that hackers had breached the Republican National Committee’s computers. The RNC quickly denied the claim, but the Texas Republican said intruders were the same Russian hackers who hacked the Democratic National Committee’s servers in July. The DNC hack resulted in hundreds of embarrassing emails being released. “They are not discriminating one party against the other,” McCaul warned.
What makes this all so unnerving is our reliance on emails.
The Pew Research Center reports more than 60 percent of American workers say email is “very important” to their jobs. Other sources say it’s not uncommon for employees to send and receive 100 or even 300 emails in a day, often with documents attached. We view them on our work computers, on our phones and even on TV while trying to keep up with the latest reality show.
Unfortunately, that’s how many people see the latest breaches and breakdowns. It’s cynically amusing that Powell doesn’t like either presidential candidate; it’s scandalous that hollywood starlets send sexy photos back and forth; it’s outrageous to realize political figures are no more immune from the breaches than the rest of us.
The breakdowns we can blame on Silicon Valley; their systems aren’t as bulletproof as they’d like us to believe. But we all should know that anything sensitive or private doesn’t belong on electronic devices. Those snarky email insults, embarrassing images or even state secrets will eventually be outed – even if your server is guaranteed secure.
Hackers – Russian, Chinese and absolutely American – are just waiting to make it any and everything public.
This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Think email’s safe? You better think again."