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The new Propublica report accused Microsoft of allowing China-based engineers to expand government contract operations and support the Pentagon Cloud System using insufficient guardrails to support the Pentagon Cloud System to increase espionage concerns from national security experts.
The report cites current and former employees and government contractors who worked on Microsoft’s cloud computing program in 2016.
Security measures aimed at meeting federal contract regulations are effectively programs that include “digital escorts” chaperones for global cybersecurity personnel, such as those based in China, that can tackle agency computing systems.
China is exploiting the government’s technical weakness. A quick reboot is required
Department of Defense guidelines require that those who process sensitive data be US citizens or permanent residents.
Some people are intimately familiar with the hiring process for “digital escorts” positions per $18 per hour, according to sources who spoke to ProPublica.
Sources said that ex-service guards are often hired for security clearance rather than technical capabilities, and often lack the skill to assess the codes used by supervising engineers.
In China, people are ruled by sweeping out laws that force government cooperation with data collection efforts.
Microsoft’s cloud was pervasive in 2023 by Chinese hackers, providing an overview of security obstacles that hackers can enter.
“If Propublica’s report turns out to be true, Microsoft has created a national embarrassment that puts our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines at risk. Head should go to prison.
“Vendors that provide Microsoft or China with access to pentagonal secrets should be in favor of rebellious behavior and be treated that way.”
“It’s like asking the fox to protect the chicken and then arming the chicken with a stick just in case the fox gets mad,” added Michael Sobolik, senior foreign policy fellow at the Hudson Institute. “It’s about belief.”
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Microsoft uses an escort system to process sensitive government information, including “classifications,” including “data that includes “life protection and financial ruin,” Propublica reported. The Department of Defense classifies data as “impact levels” 4 and 5. Propublica is reported to contain material that directly supports military operations.
A Microsoft spokesman defended the company’s “digital escorts” model, saying all personnel and contractors with privileged access must pass federally approved background checks.
“On some technical requirements, Microsoft will attract a team of experts on global subjects to provide support through certified US personnel, consistent with the requirements and processes of the US government,” the spokesman added. “In these examples, global support personnel cannot directly access customer data or customer systems.”
A Microsoft spokesman defended the company’s “digital escorts” model, saying all personnel and contractors with privileged access must pass federally approved background checks. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
When ProPublica began asking questions, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Public Relations Agency was initially unaware of the program, but it was ultimately followed to point out that “digital escorts” are used in the defense department in “unclassified environments” for “advanced problem diagnosis and resolution from industrial subject experts.”
Fox News Digital reached out to DISA and DOD but did not receive a response immediately.
In 2023, Chinese hackers infiltrated Microsoft’s cloud servers and stole data, including data and emails from senior US government officials, the Secretary of Commerce, the US ambassador, China’s ambassador, and others involved in national security activities. Hackers have access to tens of thousands of emails from the Department of Defense.
The posthumous death of the Federal Cyber Safety Review Board, which was subsequently dissolved, cited Microsoft security failures that allow hackers to sneak into the cloud. However, according to Propublica, the later report did not include a link to the “digital escort” program.
The US and China flags will fly at the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China on April 25, 2024. (King Gang via Getty Images/VCG)
Microsoft said it considers it to be “anyone” who has access to a sensitive government system, in response to a recent Propublica report.
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“Establish a mitigation layer at the platform level with security and monitoring controls to detect and prevent threats. This includes a system change approval workflow and automated code reviews to quickly detect and prevent vulnerability adoption,” he told Fox News Digital.
The spokesman added that Microsoft is complying with federal security requirements outlined by the Department of Defense and the Federal Government Risk and Authorization Management Program. It was founded in 2011 to address the risks associated with moving from fully government-controlled servers to cloud-based computing.
“This production system support model has been approved by the US government and is regularly audited,” the spokesman concluded.
Still, if Propublica’s allegations are true, Lucci says the federal government should stop working with Microsoft.
“In these cases [ProPublica] The claim is reliable. The federal government should not rely again on Microsoft to protect data that keeps men and women evenly safe, especially given Microsoft’s extensive records compromised by the CCP.
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