More on the HP Board Spying Scandal
Two weeks ago I wrote about a spying scandal involving the HP board. There’s more:
A secret investigation of news leaks at Hewlett-Packard was more elaborate than previously reported, and almost from the start involved the illicit gathering of private phone records and direct surveillance of board members and journalists, according to people briefed on the company’s review of the operation.
Given this, I predict a real investigation into the incident:
Those briefed on the company’s review of the operation say detectives tried to plant software on at least one journalist’s computer that would enable messages to be traced, and also followed directors and possibly a journalist in an attempt to identify a leaker on the board.
I’m amazed there isn’t more outcry. Pretexting, planting Trojans…this is the sort of thing that would get a “hacker” immediately arrested. But if the chairman of the HP board does it, suddenly it’s a gray area.
EDITED TO ADD (9/20): More info.
Steve Wildstrom • September 18, 2006 3:23 PM
I’m not carrying any brief for HP, but both hackers and board chairmen deserve due process and all we have here is an allegation in a newpaper story, albbeit one that seems very well reported.
If true, there will be plenty of hell to pay. The planting of software on the computer is almost certainly a felony under 18 USC 1030. Then there’s the question of how they got physical access to the computer; that might well involve criminal trespass or breaking and entering, both common offense in the PI game.
The most intriguing possibility is that HP and its directors were engaged in a criminal conspiracy under either U.S. or California law.
I’m not naive enough to believe that equal justice under law means that Patricia Dunn will get the same treatment as the guy who wrote Zotob. But this is serious stuff and it’s not going away. Companies should know that going after a journalist is a little like shooting a cop–it really makes the others pay attention.