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Report warns: A little-known Microsoft program can expose US national security secrets to Chinese hackers, ETCISO
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Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s most sensitive computer systems with minimal US supervision, potentially exposing critical national security data to America’s leading cyber adversary, a ProPublica investigation revealed this week. The arrangement relies on US citizens with security clearances, known as “digital escorts,” to oversee foreign engineers remotely. However, these escorts often lack the technical expertise to detect malicious activity from highly skilled Chinese developers who could insert harmful code into federal networks, the investigation found.”We’re trusting that what they’re doing isn’t malicious, but we really can’t tell,” said one current escort who spoke anonymously to ProPublica, fearing professional repercussions.
Chinese engineers gain access to Pentagon’s most sensitive data
The digital escort system has operated for nearly a decade, allowing Microsoft to bypass Pentagon rules that ban foreign citizens from accessing highly sensitive government data. The Chinese engineers work on “high impact level” information that includes materials directly supporting military operations and data whose compromise “could be expected to have a severe or catastrophic adverse effect” on national security.Microsoft’s arrangement involves Chinese engineers filing support tickets and then remotely instructing American escorts—some earning barely above minimum wage—to input commands into Defense Department cloud systems. Many escorts are former military personnel with little coding experience, creating a dangerous skills gap.
“If someone ran a script called ‘fix_servers.sh’ but it actually did something malicious then [escorts] would have no idea,” Matthew Erickson, a former Microsoft engineer who worked on the escort system, told ProPublica.
Senator demands Pentagon investigation into security risks
The revelations prompted Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, to demand answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In a letter obtained by Reuters, Cotton requested a complete list of contractors using Chinese personnel and details about how digital escorts are trained to detect suspicious activity.National security experts expressed alarm at the program’s existence. Harry Coker, former CIA and NSA senior executive, called it an “avenue for extremely valuable access” that intelligence operatives would covet.
John Sherman, former Defense Department chief information officer, said the situation warrants “a thorough review” by military cybersecurity agencies. The program’s low profile meant even Defense Department officials struggled to find personnel familiar with it when contacted by reporters.
