For those following the tale of the documents stolen from the Heartland Institute, that organization has just posted what it describes as the e-mail trail by which the scientist Peter Gleick obtained material meant for Heartland board members.
The posting includes screen shots of the e-mails with most identifying details blacked out. But it’s nonetheless easy to follow the chain of events. Heartland has a fresh statement about the e-mails.
Quite aside from the subject matter, the striking thing looking at this trail is what a remarkably simple ruse was used to obtain the documents. Any business or other organization worried about the security of its internal communications ought to take a look at this case. As other examples in the past have shown, the weakest link in securing electronic secrets is not easy-to-guess passwords or simplistic encryption keys — it is the ease with which human beings can be tricked into opening the castle gates to strangers.
In addition to Dr. Gleick’s many other woes, board members of the research organization he founded, the Pacific Institute, have started an investigation of his actions, reported in detail by Reuters.