Ethical Hacking News
Tulsi Gabbard, the current Director of National Intelligence (DNI), has been embroiled in a scandal surrounding her alleged use of a weak password across multiple online accounts. The revelation raises questions about the security practices of the US spy chief and highlights the need for better cybersecurity awareness among government officials.
Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, has been embroiled in a scandal surrounding her alleged use of a weak password across multiple online accounts. The leaked records show that she used the same easily cracked password for different email addresses and online accounts over several years, contravening basic cybersecurity practices. The incident raises questions about Gabbard's security practices and has sparked debate among government officials about cybersecurity awareness. Cybersecurity experts advise against reusing passwords on multiple accounts to avoid being compromised in the event of a breach. Gabbard's appointment as DNI has raised concerns about her ability to maintain the security of sensitive information and national intelligence assets.
Tulsi Gabbard, the current Director of National Intelligence (DNI) under President Joe Biden, has been embroiled in a scandal surrounding her alleged use of a weak password across multiple online accounts. According to leaked records reviewed by Wired, Gabbard used the same easily cracked password for different email addresses and online accounts over a period of years, contravening basic cybersecurity practices.
The revelation raises further questions about the security practices of the US spy chief, who has been criticized for her alleged ties to conspiracy theorists and Russian state media. Gabbard's participation in a Signal group chat in which sensitive details of a military operation were unwittingly shared with a journalist has also sparked controversy.
In January 2021, during her Senate confirmation hearing, Gabbard addressed criticisms that she was being used as a "puppet" by various political figures, including Trump, Putin, Assad, and Modi. She stated that she refused to be the puppet of any individual or organization, emphasizing her commitment to God, her conscience, and the Constitution.
However, leaked records show that Gabbard failed to follow basic cybersecurity practices on several of her personal accounts. The password associated with all of the accounts in question includes the word "shraddha," which appears to have personal significance to Gabbard. Earlier this year, it was reported that she had been initiated into the Science of Identity Foundation, an offshoot of the Hare Krishna movement, from which several former adherents accused of being a cult.
In response to questions from The Wall Street Journal, Gabbard's deputy chief of staff, Alexa Henning, posted on X and accused the news media of publicizing "Hinduphobic smears and other lies." However, records reviewed by Wired show that the data breaches occurred almost 10 years ago, and the passwords have changed multiple times since.
The incident has sparked a debate about cybersecurity practices among government officials. According to District4Labs and Constella Intelligence, open-source intelligence firms, breaches of sensitive information have been available online for years and are accessible in commercial databases.
Cybersecurity experts advise people to never use the same password on different accounts precisely because people often do so. If a password for one account is revealed in a breach, hackers will often attempt to use it to access other accounts controlled by the same person. Reusing passwords is especially dangerous with email, as a compromised email account can be used to reset credentials for other accounts or systems.
The Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA), the top US government authority on digital security, advises members of the public to use a password manager to generate a different password of at least 16 characters, consisting of random strings of mixed-case numbers, letters, and symbols or at least four unrelated words, for every account they use.
The incident has also raised questions about Gabbard's appointment as DNI. As director of national intelligence, Gabbard oversees the 18 organizations comprising the US intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and their budget of roughly $100 billion. By statute, she is the principal adviser to the president and the National Security Council on intelligence matters relating to national security, and so is charged with maintaining the security of much of the most sensitive information in the government.
In conclusion, the scandal surrounding Tulsi Gabbard's password practices has highlighted the need for better cybersecurity awareness among government officials. As DNI, Gabbard has access to sensitive information and is responsible for ensuring the security of national intelligence assets. The incident serves as a reminder that even those with high-level clearance must adhere to basic cybersecurity best practices.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Tulsi-Gabbards-Password-Scandal-A-Case-Study-in-Cybersecurity-Negligence-ehn.shtml
https://www.wired.com/story/tulsi-gabbard-dni-weak-password/
https://politicalwire.com/2025/05/06/tulsi-gabbard-reused-the-same-weak-password/
Published: Tue May 6 16:07:29 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
