Transcript reveals password in hacking scandal was player’s name
On Dec. 8, former Cardinals scouting director Christopher Correa pled guilty to five counts of unauthorized access to a computer for hacking the Houston Astros database. And on that day, several startling details from a Dec. 22 court filing became public, which shed a whole new perspective on the hacking scandal.
As it pertains to the password that was in place at the time of the hack, details were vague. The FBI’s investigation simply stated Correa was able to gain access to Houston’s proprietary Ground Control database because he knew Luhnow’s old password from his Cardinals computer, and had a hunch that those two would be related. The U.S. Attorney described it as a “similar (albeit obscure) password.”
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Thanks to a Houston Chronicle report on Saturday, we learned quite a few more details on the password in question. Specific details, which confirmed the password was at least based on the name of a former Cardinal player during Luhnow’s tenure in St. Louis.
The password of a high-ranking Astros executive that Chris Correa used to access Astros’ systems was based on the name of a player “who was scrawny and who would not have been thought of to succeed in the major leagues, but through effort and determination he succeeded anyway,” assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu said on Jan. 8 when Correa pleaded guilty to hacking the Astros in federal court.
“So this user of the password just liked that name, so he just kept on using that name over the years,” Chu said in response to questioning from U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes.
The new details served as pretty strong hints as to the player’s identity, and there’s already plenty of speculation as to who that player was.
The nearly unanimous conclusion?
That’s “Eckstein” as in David Eckstein, the 5-foot-6, 170-pound shortstop who undoubtedly meets the physical description noted.
Of course, it was Eckstein’s attributes and hard work as an undersized player that ultimately won over his peers and superiors. You could even say he was the Cardinals heart and soul during his three-year run from 2005-2007. During that time, Eckstein was selected to his only two All-Star teams during his 10-year career. Eckstein also earned the World Series MVP in 2006, as St. Louis topped the Detroit Tigers in five games.
As many people have noted, the timeline fits. Luhnow was promoted to vice president of player procurement for the Cardinals in 2005, meaning he was heavily involved in structuring the roster and saw Eckstein play every day. It’s highly plausible Luhnow or other Cardinals executives created a password around Eckstein’s name at that time and Luhnow carried it with him to Houston, when he accepted the general manager position in December of 2011.
One can debate how wise that decision was, but it’s pretty clear that’s the case, even if it happened to be another player’s name.
Of course, the password itself isn’t a great concern to MLB or federal officials, but it gives the rest of us something to talk about on a cold, snowy Saturday in January.
The league will definitely have interest in details such as what Correa’s intentions were and how they changed over time. Much of that is also included in this transcript, which can be read in its entirety courtesy of the Houston Chronicle.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
