kids today

‘Cracka With Attitude’ Claims to Have Broken Into CIA Director’s AOL Account

Cyber Threats
Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/Corbis

Like many important old people, CIA director John Brennan still, for some reason, uses an AOL email address — at least according to the (supposed) weed-loving teen who claims to have broken into it. Last week, a guy who described himself as “an American high school student” contacted the New York Post to say he’d gained access to Brennan’s account by “tricking workers at Verizon into providing Brennan’s personal information and duping AOL into resetting his password.”

From the Post:

[Brennan’s 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.

He claimed he has repeatedly prank-called America’s top spy since August, once reciting Brennan’s Social Security number to him.

He waited a tiny bit and hung up,” the hacker said.

The “hacker,” who said he also got into Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson’s Comcast account, told the Post he was “motivated by opposition to US foreign policy and support for Palestine.” As proof of his (supposed) exploits, he posted some screenshots to Twitter:

CNN reports that the FBI and the Secret Service are investigating the matter. A law-enforcement source told the network, “It does not appear that any classified information was accessed.” Meanwhile, the Post’s interlocutor encouraged the public to follow another Twitter account, CWA, which stands for “Crackas With Attitude” — a reference, per the tabloid, to “a classmate with whom he smokes pot.” Teens (or people pretending to be them)!

Teen Breaks Into CIA Director’s Email