It was just after midnight on September 16 2008. Somewhere in the heart of the United States, a web surfer known only by the nickname ‘Rubico’ flipped open his laptop and stared intently at the screen. It was the height of the US presidential election campaign and the television was filled with images of Sarah Palin, who had been confirmed as John McCain’s running mate. Earlier, Rubico had wondered whether a hunch he’d had about an email security flaw meant it would be possible to access her private messages. It was time to find out. The first piece of the...