In the future, don't store sensitive information in public domain. Save them locally on your computer and use more secure passwords. The password reminder features are problematic for the very reason you found out- the answers are easily guessed. Come up with an easy to remember way to code your answers.
This is not true - the email was not stored in the "public domain." It was stored through a private mail account. The ex went through some trouble to hack into his email account. I could cite numerous different reasons why what she did was illegal and a crime. From what I am aware, all states have some statutes that make this a crime.
Let's make this easier - what if the ex hacked into his back account and took money? Using your example, the account is in the "public domain" and it's all dependent upon whether the password is strong enough. If the password isn't strong enough does that mean that the bank account is less private property? If it was hacked, does taking money (or any other information or item) any less of an invasion that could easily constitute trespass? Mississippi state law might not work well since it appears almost all the statutes deal with "land" as opposed to property... but let's move on. There are plenty of other statutes that could and are probably used.
Doing a quick search on Mississippi law, this could fit within computer fraud statutes calling her attempts to hack and login to another computer as a "false action" (couldn't find a definition of false but one definition under Black's Law Dictionary was "not genuine" which this access certainly falls under."
MISSISSIPPI
§ 97-45-1 Definitions
§ 97-45-3 Computer fraud; penalties.
§ 97-45-5 Offense against computer users; penalties
§ 97-45-7 Offense against computer equipment; penalties
§ 97-45-9 Offense against intellectual property; penalties
§ 97-45-11 Venue
§ 97-45-13 Effect on other offenses
SEC. 97-45-3. Computer fraud; penalties.
(1) Computer fraud is the accessing or causing to be accessed of any computer, computer system, computer network or any part thereof with the intent to:
(a) Defraud; * * *
(b)
Obtain money,
property or services
by means of false or fraudulent conduct, practices or representations; or through the false or fraudulent alteration, deletion or insertion of programs or data; or
(c) Insert or attach or knowingly create the opportunity for an unknowing and unwanted insertion or attachment of a set of instructions or a computer program into a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network, that is intended to acquire, alter, damage, delete, disrupt, or destroy property or otherwise use the services of a computer program, computer, computer system or computer network.
(2) Whoever commits the offense of computer fraud shall be punished, upon conviction, by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. However, when the damage or loss or attempted damage or loss amounts to a value of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or more, the offender may be punished, upon conviction, by a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
SOURCES: Laws, 1985, ch. 319, Sec. 2; Laws, 2003, ch. 562, § 5, SB 2756, eff from and after July 1, 2003.
SEC. 97-45-1. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(u) "Property" means property as defined in Section 1-3-45, Mississippi Code of 1972, and shall specifically include, but not be limited to, financial instruments,
electronically stored or produced data and computer programs, whether in machine readable or human readable form.
