Cybersecurity Dive reports that the U.S. Department of Defense has been urged by Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to launch a probe into its contractors' use of Chinese personnel following a ProPublica report detailing Microsoft's enlistment of Chinese engineers to aid in maintaining the Pentagon's computer systems.
The Defense Department should provide a list not only of all military contractors that have sought the services of Chinese personnel for DoD systems maintenance but also of all subcontractors that hired the Chinese digital escorts, said Cotton in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "While this arrangement technically meets the requirement that U.S. citizens handle sensitive data, digital escorts often do not have the technical training or expertise needed to catch malicious code or suspicious behavior," wrote Cotton, who called on the Defense Department to ensure defenses against supply chain threats. On the other hand, Microsoft has allayed Cotton's concerns, stating that none of the Defense Department's systems are being managed by Chinese engineering teams.
The Defense Department should provide a list not only of all military contractors that have sought the services of Chinese personnel for DoD systems maintenance but also of all subcontractors that hired the Chinese digital escorts, said Cotton in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "While this arrangement technically meets the requirement that U.S. citizens handle sensitive data, digital escorts often do not have the technical training or expertise needed to catch malicious code or suspicious behavior," wrote Cotton, who called on the Defense Department to ensure defenses against supply chain threats. On the other hand, Microsoft has allayed Cotton's concerns, stating that none of the Defense Department's systems are being managed by Chinese engineering teams.
