No. of Recommendations: 12
https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/w...From my perspective - I know nothing beyond what the article - this seems like a significant, bad event. I'd predicted that federal systems would get compromised because of DOGE already, and this is the first disclosed DOGE related compromise of a federal system to my knowledge. It is only known because of a whistleblower whose safety was threatened.
Some observations
* this did not take long. Their security practices are either not great or - much worse - they are compromised and it's a humint problem
* this was relatively sloppy work by the Russians to be detected. It was noticed as a spike of traffic while exfiltrating data. To compromise and get in a position to collect and exfiltrate that data likely took some time.
* it should lead to major resignations and investigations of DOGE
This part is particularly bad and suggests grave problems
"Berulis' affidavit said that an effort by him and his colleague to formally investigate and alert the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was disrupted by higher-ups without explanation.
As he and his colleagues prepared to pass information they'd gathered to CISA he received a threatening note taped to the door of his home with photographs of him walking in his neighborhood taken via drone, Andrew Bakaj, Whistleblower Aid's chief legal counsel, said in his submission to Cotton and Warner."To repeat, this is a significant and bad development.
