Chronicle: Hacking of governor's computer suspected
Published comments had been taped, stored on office server:

Tom Marshal, spokesman for the CHP, confirmed Sunday that an investigation is under way into the security of the computer system in the governor's office.

Some experts said government computer systems are among the most vulnerable to outside hackers -- especially some systems used by California state agencies that are well known as antiquated.

"Government systems are penetrated on a regular basis," said Bev Harris, executive director of Black Box Voting, a Seattle-based group concerned about electronic voting and hacking.

"There's a lot of government offices that you wouldn't think would be vulnerable, but they have been penetrated," she said, citing the Pentagon as having its computers recently breached by a hacker.

I'll just reiterate that this is a prime example of why the Real ID Act's § 202(d)(12) is so frightening:

A state shall provide electronic access to all other states to information contained in the motor vehicle database of the state

What must be maintained in a state's motor vehicle database? Just ask § 202(d)(13):

A state shall maintain a state motor vehicle database that contains: (A) all data fields printed on DL/IDs issued by the state, and (B) motor vehicle drivers’ histories, including motor vehicle violations, suspensions, and points on license

In my hastily crafted law review bid this summer, I started off with a hypothetical intruder invading the motor vehicle department of a small state. From there, the notion of culling data from motor vehicle databases around the country doesn't seem too far fetched. Much of that data is very valuable. And very personal.

If this turns out to be an intruder hacking into the governor's office and running off with a digital audio recording, this should be an ominous warning to those who hold data that is valuable for more than just political shock value.