Pentagon investigating breach of Air Force communications by engineer

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Jul 2023 00:20

The “critical compromise”, as the Pentagon calls it, is being investigated across 17 Air Force facilities.

Air Force Reserve Command headquarters building, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, US in an undated photo (US Air Force/Staff Sgt Alexi Saltekoff)

According to a Department of Justice search warrant, an Air Force engineer is suspected of a major breach of DoD communications, which also revealed that FBI communications may also have been compromised by the same employee on a Tennessee Air Force base.

Obtained by Forbes, the “critical compromise”, as the Pentagon calls it, is being investigated across 17 Air Force facilities. The warrant details evidence of a possible breach by the employee who worked at the Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee.

A base contractor tipped off the government that the 48-year-old engineer took government radio technologies home for his own use - the warrant alleged the amount of stolen equipment was worth almost $90,000.

When his home was raided, “unauthorized administrator access” to radio communications tech used by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) was found, “affecting 17 DoD installations." The AETC is one of nine “major commands" classified by the Pentagon as “interrelated and complementary, providing offensive, defensive, and support elements” to Air Force Headquarters.

Investigators discovered an open computer screen showing that the suspect was running a Motorola radio programming software, “which contained the entire Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) communications system" as stated in the Department of Justice search warrant.

This breach comes merely three months after another major breach of Pentagon security by Air National Guard employee Jack Teixeira who allegedly leaked sensitive information related to the war in Ukraine on the social platform Discord. Teixeira pleaded not guilty back in June.

Forbes is withholding publishing the suspect's name since he has not been charged yet.

Although details were not provided on what information the suspect got his hands on, authorities claimed to have found evidence that he had access to FBI communications and those of multiple Tennessee state agencies.

The warrant stated that "witnesses and co-workers” relayed to investigators that the suspect “sold radios and radio equipment, worked odd hours, was arrogant, frequently lied, displayed inappropriate workplace behavior and sexual harassment, had financial problems, and possessed [Arnold Air Force Base land mobile radio] equipment.” He was reported twice by a colleague because of “insider threat indicators” and unauthorized possession of Air Force equipment, according to investigators.

The suspect's LinkedIn page shows he has a long history in cybersecurity, as well as radio communications, and claims to have conducted tests of the Arnold Air Force Base’s security, alongside improving the protection of radio communications on-site and having knowledge of the encryption used on government data.

A document describing the forensics on technologies confiscated from his home displayed that he had a USB with “administrative passwords and electronic system keys” for the AETC radio network, in addition to data from flash drives that were “local law enforcement radio programming files."

“Motorola radio programming files” were found on another USB which, when opened, showed a warning banner stating they were US government property. Installer files were also recovered with a "CONFIDENTIAL RESTRICTED" pop-up when opened.