Sarah Palin email hack
David Kernell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age |
| Died | February 2, 2018 (aged 30–31) |
| Occupation(s) | University student, programmer |
| Known for | Hacking Sarah Palin's personal Yahoo! email account in 2008 |
The Sarah Palin email breach took place on September 16, 2008, amid the 2008 United States presidential election campaign, when the personal Yahoo! email account of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was unlawfully accessed. The intruder, David Kernell, exploited publicly accessible biographical data alongside vulnerabilities in Yahoo!'s account recovery procedures. Subsequently, he uploaded multiple pages of Palin's emails onto the /b/ board of 4chan. Kernell, a 20-year-old university student and son of Democratic Tennessee state legislator Mike Kernell, faced federal charges in October 2008.
Although initially subject to court restrictions, Kernell was released on his own recognizance while awaiting trial. The indictment included four felony counts carrying a combined maximum sentence of up to 50 years: identity theft, wire fraud, anticipatory obstruction of justice, and unauthorized computer access. Kernell entered a plea of not guilty on all charges.
The trial commenced on April 20, 2010, with testimony from Sarah Palin, her daughter Bristol Palin, and Christopher Poole, founder of 4chan. The jury found Kernell guilty on two charges: felony anticipatory obstruction of justice and misdemeanor unauthorized access to a computer. Palin publicly acknowledged her appreciation for the verdict.
On November 12, 2010, the court sentenced Kernell to one year and one day in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Despite the judge’s recommendation for placement in a halfway house, the Federal Bureau of Prisons assigned him to a minimum-security facility. Kernell was freed on November 23, 2011. In January 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed his conviction, determining that his knowledge of a potential FBI probe justified the obstruction charge.
Incident
In the early hours shortly after midnight on September 16, 2008, the private Yahoo! Mail account belonging to Sarah Palin was compromised by a 4chan user operating under the pseudonym "Rubico," who stated his intent was to uncover information capable of disrupting her campaign. Upon examining Palin’s emails, Rubico discovered primarily personal and administrative correspondence from her gubernatorial tenure. Utilizing Palin’s Wikipedia entry to identify her birth date—a typical Yahoo! security question—he gained access within approximately 15 seconds. The hacker then posted the account’s password on /b/, an image board hosted on 4chan, along with screenshots shared on WikiLeaks.
Another participant on /b/ logged into the account afterward, altered the password, and uploaded a screenshot displaying an email sent to a Palin associate containing the new password. This conduct was criticized within the /b/ community as a "white knight" intervention since the password remained visible in the image. Multiple users attempted to use this updated password to access the account, which triggered Yahoo! to lock it automatically. Some members expressed disappointment over what they perceived as the diminished impact of the hack.
The hacker confessed to fearing apprehension and panicked after releasing the data—deleting all content and disconnecting from the internet. Nonetheless, investigators obtained clues: his IP address was recorded through the proxy CTunnel.com, and he inadvertently left an email address when posting on 4chan. Additionally, a screenshot revealed the original proxy URL used during the intrusion. Although posts on 4chan’s /b/ board are not preserved long-term, media organizations such as Wired archived Rubico’s contributions.
The email address discovered was traced back to David Kernell via social media accounts; however, no formal investigation was initiated at that time.
Campaign reaction
The campaign of John McCain denounced the event as a "startling breach of the governor's privacy and a legal infringement." Meanwhile, Barack Obama's spokesperson, Bill Burton, described the hacking as "unacceptable."
Federal inquiry
The FBI together with the Secret Service conducted an investigation that led to identifying David Kernell, a 20-year-old economics major at the University of Tennessee and son of Democratic Tennessee State Representative Mike Kernell, as the prime suspect. The hacker’s alias on 4chan and proxy server records were traced back to Kernell’s residence.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Kernell’s apartment in Knoxville, spending two hours collecting evidence. His three roommates were subpoenaed to testify in Chattanooga. Kernell was charged with obstruction for allegedly trying to delete evidence from his computer. His father confirmed knowledge of the probe but chose not to interrogate him due to possible courtroom testimony.
Indictment
On October 7, 2008, a second federal grand jury in Knoxville formally indicted Kernell. The charges included unauthorized access to stored electronic communications and interstate computer trespassing under federal law. Kernell turned himself in the next day and entered a plea of not guilty. The court released him on his own recognizance.
Court proceedings
Kernell appeared in court in October 2008, restrained, pleading not guilty, and was subsequently released on bond. The trial commenced eighteen months later on April 20, 2010. Sarah Palin provided testimony lasting 44 minutes, accompanied by her daughter Bristol. Following her statements, Palin underscored the importance of accountability for wrongdoing.
Judgment and sentencing
On April 30, 2010, Kernell was found guilty on two counts: felony anticipatory obstruction of justice through record destruction and misdemeanor unauthorized computer access. He was acquitted of wire fraud charges, and the jury was deadlocked on identity theft, resulting in a mistrial for that specific count. Palin likened the case to Watergate and expressed appreciation for the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle requested an 18-month incarceration term and indicated intentions to seek a retrial on the identity theft charge if permitted.
In November 2010, U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips sentenced Kernell to one year and one day imprisonment, preferably served at a halfway house, along with three years of probation. Nevertheless, the Federal Bureau of Prisons initially placed him in the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky. Officials cited Kernell’s family support and university enrollment as reasons why immediate halfway house placement was unnecessary; he was transferred there subsequently.
Offender background
David Christopher Kernell, son of longtime Democratic Tennessee state representative Mike Kernell from Memphis, secured the Tennessee Open Scholastic Chess Championship title in 2004 and graduated from Germantown High School in 2006. Following his release from BOP custody, he resumed studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to finish his economics degree. Kernell contributed his programming expertise voluntarily to Tennessee Voices for Children, a nonprofit advocating for child welfare. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2014, he took part in clinical trials at Cedars-Sinai Neurosciences Research Center and later developed facial recognition technology designed to identify children vulnerable to abuse.
Kernell passed away on February 2, 2018, in Newport Beach, California, at age 30 due to complications related to progressive MS.
See also
- List of publications released by WikiLeaks
- Chronology of incidents linked to Anonymous
- Protection of email communications