Hotmail users' privacy violated by hacker tool

August 21, 2001

Hackers have developed a tool to exploit a fault in Hotmail security that allows them to read private messages, speeding up a traditionally slow manual hacking process.

Covert hacker site, rootcore.com, has released the tool, named Hobo, which simplifies the hack of Hotmail accounts by scanning message numbers individually, at a rate of one per second. Each Hotmail message is identified by a number displayed by the URL, plus the username.

Immediate threats to personal security are limited, as hackers and script kiddies are unable to target specific addresses, alter messages or get access to an entire inbox.

Microsoft is aware of the hole so rootcore.com members do not expect Hobo to be of use for much longer.