DHS Sets Off E-Storm

The SANS Institute's "Internet Storm Center" reports that the Homeland Security Department ran into a little issue yesterday with its daily e-mail "Open Source Intelligence Report:"

This morning a reader replied to the list address with a request for a change and his note got re-sent to all of the list subscribers. In the next hour or so, dozens of readers have replied .... This points out an important point -- if you maintain a broadcast mailing list make sure that the address will not reflect email from sources other than the owner of the list.

Having been on the receiving end of this kind of vicious e-mail cycle, I can only say, amen. And also, there but for the grace of God go all of us in the e-newsletter business.

(Hat tip: Danger Room)

Update: The New York Times reports that the incident involved "a flood of more than 2.2 million messages nationwide that clogged the e-mail accounts of government and private experts on domestic security, including the operators of an Illinois nuclear power station."