Hackers leak copy of Michelle Obama's passport, but is it real?
Hacking group DC Leaks released a new bunch of files Thursday, including a mountain of emails purportedly from a low level White House staffer from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and an image seemingly showing Michelle Obama's passport picture page.
The image was reportedly found as an email attachment received by the staffer, Ian Mellul, and forwarded on to his personal account.
The First Lady's face did the rounds online as the image was shared across social media, but some have questioned whether or not the passport copy is real.
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In the photo, her hair extends beyond the picture's edges, and there isn't much white space around her head -- characteristics banned by the State Department. However, anecdotal tales of people with similar passport images abound.
Then there's the time limit on the document; it's valid for just five years between the issue date and expiration date. Most people in the U.S. have 10 year passports, although diplomatic passports are valid for five years.
Another potential red flag around its validity is the lack of any middle names. Her full name is Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama.
The White House declined to comment on the passport graphic's validity Thursday but spokesman Josh Earnest said they were taking the matter seriously. The First Lady's office has also declined to comment thus far.
Secret Service communications director Cathy Milhoan told the Associated Press: "The Secret Service is concerned any time unauthorized information that might pertain to one of the individuals we protect, or our operations, is allegedly disclosed."
Other information unearthed in the emails reportedly include: the names of Secret Service staff who were to travel for Michelle Obama's trip to Cuba in March; a White House travel manual; and the names of social security numbers of some White House staffers.
They span a period between February 2015 through July 2016, the Associated Press reports.
DC Leaks released emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell last week, in which he called Donald Trump a "national disgrace." The hacking group has been allegedly linked to Russian intelligence groups.
Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
