Unvetted and Inexperienced Engineers Access US Government Systems

ecurity experts are alarmed as a group of young engineers, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, has accessed the US government’s nerve center, sparking concerns about the security of sensitive information.

A Volatile Situation

The campaign, which began at the Treasury Department, involved taking control of the US government’s payment system, a move justified as monitoring public spending. From there, it expanded into cost-cutting initiatives, with software engineers spreading across federal agencies, taking control of computer systems.

Disruption and Shuttering of Government Organizations

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education, and the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages much of the government’s infrastructure and building portfolio, have been among the organizations that have been disrupted or shut down.

Critical Concerns

Bruce Schneier, a security technologist at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Davi Ottenheimer of Inrupt, a data infrastructure company, have expressed concerns about the unprecedented security breach. In an internal report, an outside contractor warned that the access given to the DOGE team poses the single greatest insider threat risk the Bureau of Fiscal Services has ever faced.

Lack of Expertise and Experience

The computer systems in question are among the world’s most complex and sensitive, and yet, the DOGE team is staffed primarily with individuals connected to Musk’s companies and young tech professionals in their 20s, most of whom have not been vetted or have government experience.

Conflicts of Interest and Concerns about Elon Musk

Musk himself is unelected, and his companies hold several major government contracts, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. The access to sensitive data could potentially give his business empire an even greater advantage.

Emerging Consequences

The consequences are already emerging, with reports indicating that DOGE-associated individuals have connected an unauthorized server to the network and are using AI software on US citizens’ personal data, in violation of federal privacy laws. The situation has sparked numerous lawsuits, forcing some to retreat from the DOGE team.

Concerns about Power and Control

Security experts Schneier and Ottenheimer are particularly troubled by the removal of career officials who managed security measures. They argue that the Treasury’s computer systems have such an impact on national security that they were designed with the same principle that guides nuclear launch protocols: no single person should have unlimited power.

Experts Warn of Potential Risks

Cybersecurity experts, including Michael Daniel, former White House cybersecurity coordinator under Barack Obama and current head of the Cyber Threat Alliance, have warned of the risks of mistakes and vulnerabilities made in a short period. Daniel notes that the Chinese, the Russians, and other intelligent services would exploit such opportunities.

The Importance of Experience and Expertise

Security experts emphasize the importance of experience and expertise when managing sensitive government systems. Daniel warns that assuming that everyone working for the federal government is incompetent is incorrect.