BrianKrebsFeb 8

So I finally turned a recent popular post here into a proper story.

Teen on Musk’s DOGE Team Graduated from ‘The Com’

Wired reported this week that a 19-year-old working for Elon Musk‘s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was given access to sensitive US government systems even though his past association with cybercrime communities should have precluded him from gaining the necessary security clearances to do so. As today’s story explores, the DOGE teen is a former denizen of ‘The Com,’ an archipelago of Discord and Telegram chat channels that function as a kind of distributed cybercriminal social network for facilitating instant collaboration.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/02/teen-on-musks-doge-team-graduated-from-the-com/

Teen on Musk’s DOGE Team Graduated from ‘The Com’ – Krebs on Security

Show threadBrianKrebsFeb 8

This kid's dad runs a snack food company called Lesserevil. Anyone try their products lately? Leave a review!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/LesserEvilSnacks/page/4348D983-90A0-4492-85AF-7A4A04CF2115

[fixed the broken link]

LesserEvil Snacks

Ingredients mean everything.

Amazon.com
Show threadBodhipaksaFeb 8

@briankrebs

Is there any evidence that the father is responsible for or supports his son’s actions?

Show threadiam-py-test 

@bodhipaksa @briankrebs
Their Facebook, which was last updated in 2014 and was never used much, states they were at one time employed by LesserEvil: https://www.facebook.com/edward.coristine

They did work at LesserEvil in 2012, according to a now-deleted Facebook post: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/04/metro/doge-staff-northeastern-coristine/

Their father bought LesserEvil in 2011: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/07/lesserevil-ceo-why-i-left-wall-street-for-a-failing-snack-company.html
It's possible he hired his son when he bought the company.

Obviously, that does not mean the company or it's leadership supports them today.
Unless someone has actual evidence of their support, this is just speculation, and baseless speculation should not be enough to punish a company.
Sure, sometimes children share their parent's beliefs, but that should not be taken as an absolute. Parents certainly shouldn't automatically be held guilty of their child's crimes.

#LesserEvil

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Show threadBodhipaksaFeb 8

@iampytest1 @briankrebs

Your dad employing you doesn’t mean that he approves of everything you do.

Show threadiam-py-test Feb 8
@bodhipaksa @briankrebs I completely agree.
Also, it's not clear how long ago they was employed.
My political beliefs certainly have changed since 2012, so it's possible they were not alt-right then.
Show threadskaphleFeb 8
@iampytest1 @bodhipaksa @briankrebs If a guy is 25 in the year 2025, how old was he in 2012?
Show threadiam-py-test Feb 9

@skaphle You are correct, the math does not add up.
The Boston Globe's article says the deleted 2012 post is "Edward's picture of some of LesserEvil's family", so maybe it's the CEO with his kid.
Facebook does not say when they set their employment as Lesser Evil; the last post was in 2014, so I doubt it was after then. However, that math also does not add up. Maybe they lied on their Facebook?

All of this further supports the fact there is nothing other than baseless speculation supporting the guilt of Lesser Evil.

Show threadskaphleFeb 9
@iampytest1 Oh and I just realized this is about the 19 y o guy, so even younger.