[Rooters] A hacking attack on Google's Gmail service in 2011 prompted Hillary Clinton and her aides to worry about the security of private email accounts widely used by government officials who found their "antiquated" government-issued laptops inefficient.Clinton's use of a private email account connected to a server in her New York home while she led the State Department now hangs over her campaign to become the Democratic nominee for the November 2016 presidential election.
"DoS Now hangs." A figurative metaphor, unfortunately.
The seemingly prophetic concern is revealed in the latest batch of Clinton's emails released by the State Department, the fifth release in a monthly series set to last until January 2016 under a schedule ordered by a federal judge.
After Google Inc (GOOGL.O) revealed in June 2011 that suspected Chinese hackers tried to steal the passwords of hundreds of Gmail accounts held by senior U.S. government officials, Clinton and three top aides discussed the issue.
"NO ONE uses a State-issued laptop and even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to be able to get their work done quickly and effectively," Anne-Marie Slaughter, who had recently left her job as director of policy planning at the State Department, wrote in an email to Clinton.
"Quickly and effectively"...without the obvious threat of unsightly archiving and FOIA releases.
Slaughter suggested that someone outside of government write an op-ed about the State Department's "antiquated" technology, blaming it on budget cuts.
Clinton replied saying she thought the idea made "good sense" and asked how the department should follow up with Slaughter's idea.
Yea! Blame it on sequestration and the evil pubs. That's the ticket.
Her chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, was less sure, writing that both she and policy aide Jake Sullivan had concerns.
Mills, who said hackers had attempted to infiltrate her email, wrote, "I am not sure we want to telegraph how much folks do or don't do off state mail (because) it may encourage others who are out there," Mills wrote.
BUSTED !
The Republican National Committee, which has accused Clinton of jeopardizing sensitive government information and national security, picked up on the thread, saying it undercut Clinton's assertion that her server was more secure than government email.
