A hacker going by the name "Guccifer," has apparently accessed private photos and e-mails between members of the Bush family, including the accounts both former presidents, the Associated Press reported.
U.S. Secret Service continue to investigate the web site The Smoking Gun, which has private photos of the Bushes, including one of Bush Sr., 88, while in a Houston hospital, taken by his daughter, according to Aljazeera.com. He recently spent almost two months being treated for complication from a bronchial infection.
"There is a criminal investigation and as such, there's nothing else we can say," spokesman Jim McGrath said on Friday, "Guccifer" has apparently gained access to emails, private phone numbers and addresses to Bush family members.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, when reached by an e-mail with the AP, said the hacking was "outrageous...a total disregard for privacy." The word "Guccifer" appears on the various photos published on the website. He has desribed himself as a veteran hacker who has long been in the government's sites, according to news reports. The Smoking Gun has said that six separate e-mails were compromised.
Republican politicians are no stranger to hacked accounts. As reported by the Associated Press revealed that Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and some top aides had used their private e-mail accounts. While Romney was Massachusetts Governor, his Hotmail account was reportedly hacked. Also former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin had her e-mail hacked, as college student David Kernell was convicted on federal charges, just weeks before the 2008 presidential elections.
By definition, a hacker is "a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system."
