Email hacking is illicit access to an
email
account or email correspondence.[1][2]
Email on the internet is now commonly sent by the
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This does not encrypt the text
of emails and so intercepted mail can be read easily unless the user
adds their own
encryption. The identity of the sender or addressee of an email is
not
authenticated and this provides opportunities for abuse such as
spoofing.[3]
As email has increasingly replaced traditional post for important
correspondence, there have been several notable cases in which email has
been intercepted by other people for illicit purposes. Email archives
from the
Climatic Research Unit were leaked to create the scandal popularly
known as
Climategate.[4]
Journalists employed by
News International hacked email accounts of celebrities in search of
gossip and scandal for their stories.[5]
Individuals such as
Rowenna Davis have had their accounts taken over and held to ransom
by criminals who try to extort payment for their return.[6]
The email accounts of politicians such as
Sarah Palin have been hacked to try to find embarrassing or
incriminating correspondence.[7]
Email may be protected by methods such as a
strong password, encryption of the contents or a
digital signature. An
email disclaimer may be used to warn unauthorised readers but these
are thought to be ineffective.