Bruce Schneier Davi Ottenheimer have written a tremendous piece for Foreign Policy that everyone should read called "DOGE is Hacking America." It clearly explains why what DOGE is doing has to be stopped, and what's at stake here.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/11/doge-cyberattack-united-states-treasury/

I used to subscribe to FP but then found it came with my Apple News subscription. But I realize not everyone has that, so:
https://archive.ph/lSHkJ

Here's an excerpt:

"But the most alarming aspect isn’t just the access being granted. It’s the systematic dismantling of security measures that would detect and prevent misuse—including standard incident response protocols, auditing, and change-tracking mechanisms—by removing the career officials in charge of those security measures and replacing them with inexperienced operators.

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. Just as launching a nuclear missile requires two separate officers turning their keys simultaneously, making changes to critical financial systems traditionally requires multiple authorized personnel working in concert.

This approach, known as “separation of duties,” isn’t just bureaucratic red tape; it’s a fundamental security principle as old as banking itself. When your local bank processes a large transfer, it requires two different employees to verify the transaction. When a company issues a major financial report, separate teams must review and approve it. These aren’t just formalities—they’re essential safeguards against corruption and error.

These measures have been bypassed or ignored. It’s as if someone found a way to rob Fort Knox by simply declaring that the new official policy is to fire all the guards and allow unescorted visits to the vault.

The implications for national security are staggering. Sen. Ron Wyden said his office had learned that the attackers gained privileges that allow them to modify core programs in Treasury Department computers that verify federal payments, access encrypted keys that secure financial transactions, and alter audit logs that record system changes. Over at OPM, reports indicate that individuals associated with DOGE connected an unauthorized server into the network. They are also reportedly training AI software on all of this sensitive data."

DOGE's Cyberattack Against America

The U.S. government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history.

Foreign Policy
@briankrebs It's not daviD :)
@g I actually said Davi out loud as I was typing it, and it still came out David. Thanks.
@briankrebs I figured it was either autocorrect on the computer or in the muscle memory!
@briankrebs #ElonMusk has become a literal and less ethical Lex Luther. As I know you well know, those security measures prevent spreading lies and the misuse of power. These are literal attacks on #truth, #justice and the #american way.
@briankrebs 😱 Thanks for sharing.
@briankrebs Looking at the amalgam of recent developments in the US and the world I'm often reminded of the neboulous concept of the "Jackpot" that tied together William Gibsons last three novels.

@briankrebs This has little to do with Trump and a lot to do with Thiel, Musk and The Nerd Reich.

See https://www.thenerdreich.com/

The Nerd Reich | Silicon Valley Tech Extremism

Silicon Valley tech billionaire politics: authoritarianism, fascism, plutocracy, weirdness

The Nerd Reich

@isonno

@briankrebs

Welcome to 1933. And this time "Adolph the tinker" has nukes insted of a mustache.

@briankrebs If this is indeed the case, the EU should hack the Treasury now (before the Russians or Chinese do).

@briankrebs Musk's outrageous worst-case intrusion needs to lead to prosecution, indictment & a restraining order keeping him farthest away from any government ops forever, also due to his highly suspicious contacts with the Chinese & Russian regimes.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/retired-army-general-warns-musk-could-be-national-security-ticking-time-bomb/
#RuleOfLaw #ElonMusk #NationalSecurityThreat #DataBreach #DataTheft #Intrusion #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Classified #EspionageAct #Privacy #DOJ #DHS #FBI #ArrestMusk #Law #Justice #NationalSecurity #Democracy #DefendTheConstitution #DefendAmerica #USPol #USPolitics

Retired Army General Warns Musk Could Be National Security Ticking Time Bomb

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré said that Elon Musk’s business ties to China, mainly through Tesla, need to be looked at forensically.

The Daily Beast

@briankrebs

elmo gop treasury golpe reminds of the polemic around gop nelson rockefeller and fort knox gold ...

what a coincidence ...

@briankrebs

It's a heist, wrapped in a coup, disguised as a political party.

@troy_frizzell

That is the most colorful, succinct description of what's currently going on that I've heard so far. Brilliant!

So it's sorta like Russian Nesting Dolls (Matryoshka Dolls), huh?

Well now. Isn't that an interesting coincidence.

@briankrebs

@briankrebs

Meanwhile, Trump is kept busy with pennies, straws and football games.

#USPol #Republican #NerdReich

@briankrebs There is no exaggeration here. Anyone who has developed security systems understands this is a catastrophe. Lives are now at risk.

@briankrebs

DOGE should not have been given access in the first place. Should have ignored orders. Take it to court!

But spineless moles just capitulated.

@SpaceLifeForm @briankrebs IIRC a few patriotic federal workers did refuse access to the systems and were physically removed from the building by armed guards.
@vemily @SpaceLifeForm @briankrebs Nazi goons is the correct description for the Nazis that work for musk
But wait! I thought the whole idea of DOGE was to reduce the debt?

@briankrebs
But these essential safeguards against corruption make the daily work of conmen like #Naziboy and #Weirdo in chief so much more complicated.

They might be good for the USA, the country. But are they good for the American oligarchy?

@briankrebs Can some patriot that works there simply unplug some cables and smash some boxes and get arrested? This coup has to be made more visible and someone with access has to take some risks.
@briankrebs
Everything I read nowadays reminds me of the movie Idiocracy
@pitrh
@briankrebs ...excellent piece.....Americans not incensed by this are not really Americans....
@havvyhh2 unfortunately that seems to be most. The scariest part of all of this is that Americans don't care. I've been trying to rally people and they just tell me to meditate.
@chapulin ...I have seen others say the same....shocking, really, and I'm guessing the depth so, so many Americans have gone down the rabbit holes of misinformation and conspiracy theories is why. When trumpo won in Nov, I said (mostly to myself) that it would take a real hit to Americans to begin to swivel back to reality...and even a whack across the forehead like something like this seems to not yet be that hit.
@havvyhh2 Thailand is starting to sound nice. This seems like it will get a lot worse before it gets better.
@chapulin ...been here for 20 years....has its issues, but nothing compared to what US is and will become, the good parts are really grand!! ...imho.
@havvyhh2 what towns/regions would you recommend?
@chapulin if you like big cities, Bangkok of course. Big expat community is found@up north in Chiang Mai....up in the mountains and slightly cooler. Beach communities like Phuket, Koh Samui are lovely. If you're a nightlife (naughty or,otherwise@) person, Pattaya on east shore@of the Gulf of Thailand has it all (though tons,of Russians which, for me, is unappealing). and unending lovely small towns and villages throughout the land.
@briankrebs AIUI training AI needs big server farms. So where are these server farms and who owns them? And if secret government data is being uploaded to them, isn't that a crime?

@briankrebs Just as an additional information - that piece is available without any paywall on Bruce Schneiers blog:

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/02/doge-as-a-national.html

DOGE as a National Cyberattack - Schneier on Security

In the span of just weeks, the US government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history—not through a sophisticated cyberattack or an act of foreign espionage, but through official orders by a billionaire with a poorly defined government role. And the implications for national security are profound. First, it was reported that people associated with the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had accessed the US Treasury computer system, giving them the ability to collect data on and potentially control the department’s roughly ...

Schneier on Security
@dzu Oh cool. It wasn't when I checked yesterday. But that's probably an agreement with the publisher.

@briankrebs "...but her e-mails?"

The selective outrage we've seen over the last few US election cycles is bonkers.