Typo leads US and UK to mistakenly email sensitive info to Russian ally.
Emails Sent to Mali Instead of U.S. Military: A Costly Typo
For years, emails intended for members of the U.S. military were mistakenly sent to Mali, a Russian ally in Africa, according to multiple reports.
The blunder occurred due to a simple typo that confused the Pentagon’s “.mil” domain with Mali’s “.ml” suffix. This oversight led to sensitive information potentially reaching the wrong hands.
The error was brought to the attention of U.S. military officials by Johannes Zuurbier, a tech entrepreneur who had been hired by Mali’s government to manage their internet domain. Despite his efforts to alert U.S. officials, no action had been taken.
Zuurbier recently wrote to the Pentagon, highlighting the issue and informing them that his contract to run Russia’s African ally’s domain was ending soon.
Millions of private messages were mistakenly sent to the wrong address, some containing details about military personnel and their travel itineraries. Shockingly, even the travel itinerary of U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, including his room number and security information, was sent to this incorrect domain.
Although none of the sensitive information was marked classified, it included highly sensitive data on serving U.S. military personnel, contractors, and their families. The contents ranged from X-rays and medical data to identity documents, crew lists, maps, photos, contracts, and even tax and financial records.
The Pentagon has taken measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Interestingly, the same URL issue also resulted in privileged emails from the U.K. being sent to Mali instead of the Pentagon. The U.K.’s top military officials are currently investigating the matter.
(1/2) This report misleadingly claims state secrets were sent to Mali’s email domain. We assess fewer than 20 routine emails were sent to an incorrect domain & are confident there was no breach of operational security or disclosure of technical data. https://t.co/frvgl3PE8C
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 28, 2023
The U.K. Ministry of Defence clarified that fewer than 20 routine emails were sent to the wrong domain and assured that there was no breach of operational security or disclosure of technical data.
(2/2) An investigation is ongoing. Emails of this kind are not classified at secret or above.
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) July 28, 2023
The Times reported that some British military emails, meant for the Pentagon, contained vacation schedules for military officers and detailed descriptions of weapons like hypersonic missiles.
It is a stark reminder of how a small typo can have significant consequences, leading to the unintentional exposure of sensitive information.
Source: The Western Journal
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