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A new report claims that Microsoft has used Chinese engineers to maintain U.S. Defense Department computers, which would present a major national security threat. Experts want Microsoft’s borderline “treasonous behavior” investigated, in comments shared with PJ Media.
ProPublica published an investigation July 15 that claimed “Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel.” While it is not certain that the report is true, Microsoft does have operations and connections in China, and the Biden administration did allow far too many loopholes for potential foreign infiltration, which is one reason why the Trump administration has such a major task ahead in cleaning out the federal government.
All companies in China are required to share data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), particularly with the Chinese military through “civil-military fusion.” Hence Microsoft’s reported use of Chinese engineers could give the CCP access to sensitive U.S. DOD data. This Microsoft report is also concerning in light of a new DOD contract with Google for artificial intelligence services, considering that Google is also embedded in China.
Michael Lucci, State Armor CEO, minced no words in his reaction. “If ProPublica’s report turns out to be true, Microsoft has created a national embarrassment that endangers our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines,” he said, urging action from government officials. “Heads should roll, those responsible should go to prison, and Congress should hold extensive investigations to uncover the full extent of potential compromise.” --->READ MORE HERE
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Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel — leaving some of the nation’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary, a ProPublica investigation has found.
The arrangement, which was critical to Microsoft winning the federal government’s cloud computing business a decade ago, relies on U.S. citizens with security clearances to oversee the work and serve as a barrier against espionage and sabotage.
But these workers, known as “digital escorts,” often lack the technical expertise to police foreign engineers with far more advanced skills, ProPublica found. Some are former military personnel with little coding experience who are paid barely more than minimum wage for the work.
“We’re trusting that what they’re doing isn’t malicious, but we really can’t tell,” said one current escort who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, fearing professional repercussions.
The system has been in place for nearly a decade, though its existence is being reported publicly here for the first time.
Microsoft told ProPublica that it has disclosed details about the escort model to the federal government. But former government officials said in interviews that they had never heard of digital escorts. The program appears to be so low-profile that even the Defense Department’s IT agency had difficulty finding someone familiar with it. “Literally no one seems to know anything about this, so I don’t know where to go from here,” said Deven King, spokesperson for the Defense Information Systems Agency.
National security and cybersecurity experts contacted by ProPublica were also surprised to learn that such an arrangement was in place, especially at a time when the U.S. intelligence community and leading members of Congress and the Trump administration view China’s digital prowess as a top threat to the country.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has called China the “most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. Government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks.” One of the most prominent examples of that threat came in 2023, when Chinese hackers infiltrated the cloud-based mailboxes of senior U.S. government officials, stealing data and emails from the commerce secretary, the U.S. ambassador to China and others working on national security matters. The intruders downloaded about 60,000 emails from the State Department alone. --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant story:
+++++National security experts raise concerns after Microsoft program exposed as possible avenue for Chinese spying+++++
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