'Climate emails hacked by spies'

[Aurora]

The Independent - 01/02/10

A highly sophisticated hacking operation that led to the leaking of hundreds of emails from the Climatic Research Unit in East Anglia was probably carried out by a foreign intelligence agency, according to the Government's former chief scientist. Sir David King, who was Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser for seven years until 2007, said that the hacking and selective leaking of the unit's emails, going back 13 years, bore all the hallmarks of a co-ordinated intelligence operation – especially given their release just before the Copenhagen climate conference in December.

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[clv101]

Unless King knows something we don't... I expect he's wrong.

Just because the impact was big, does not mean it was the result of an extraordinarily sophisticated operation. In a university environment computer security tends to be weak. An insider with a USB stick could likely get physical access to the server.

[RenewableCandy]

I read this on the Beeb and, well, it confirmed my suspicions about the timing! I don't reckon it's part of a huge conspiracy though, I bet it's just some CC-deniers put out the offer of a prize or something, which suddenly set lots of other CC deniers (as well as assorted other characters who couldn't care less but just like playing with computers) on the case.

[stumuzz]

I’m sure Nigel Lawson would have something to say

http://www.thegwpf.org/news/151-nigel-l ... igion.html