From Ars Technica: Taliban fails to BCC an e-mail, reveals its entire PR mailing list

An apparent slip of the hand by a Taliban spokesperson has revealed the members of the group’s mailing list, according to a report Friday from ABC News. The 400 e-mail addresses include many journalists, but also a few members of government as well as “academics and activists.”

The Taliban regularly sends e-mail blasts with press releases highlighting its latest activities, usually from the e-mail account of spokesperson Qari Yousuf Ahmedi. But this time, the press release Ahmedi intended to send was forwarded from the account of another spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid. Ahmedi forwarded the e-mail on to the mailing list, but CC’d all 400 members, rather than BCC’ing them, so the full list of e-mail addresses was laid bare to all who received it.

According to ABC News, the list included “a provincial governor, an Afghan legislator” and an “Afghan consultative committee.” We can only imagine the chain of reply-alls that followed, but we’re certain it’s the stuff of nightmares.

from Ars Technica