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Likely Data Heist, Possible Motives, Threats to Whistleblower -- Another Day in the Office for DOGE [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-16

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More details on this data breach story at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were reported today. They were enlightening. Read these stories, if you have the time and interest.

If not, here are some of the disturbing highlights.

[...]

The whistleblower's story sheds further light on how DOGE is operating inside federal systems and comes on the heels of testimony in more than a dozen court cases across the United States that reveal how DOGE rapidly gained access to private financial and personal information on hundreds of millions of Americans. It's unclear how or whether DOGE is protecting the privacy of that data. Meanwhile, the threatening note, though its origins are unknown, is reflective of the current climate of fear and intimidation toward whistleblowers.

[...] The employees grew concerned that the NLRB's confidential data could be exposed, particularly after they started detecting suspicious log-in attempts from an IP address in Russia , according to the disclosure. [Whoever was attempting to log in was using one of the newly created DOGE accounts — and the person had the correct username and password, according to NLRB employee Daniel Berulis.] Eventually, the disclosure continued, the IT department launched a formal review of what it deemed a serious, ongoing security breach or potentially illegal removal of personally identifiable information. The whistleblower believes that the suspicious activity warrants further investigation by agencies with more resources, like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or the FBI. The labor law experts interviewed by NPR fear that if the data gets out, it could be abused, including by private companies with cases before the agency that might get insights into damaging testimony, union leadership, legal strategies and internal data on competitors — Musk's SpaceX among them . It could also intimidate whistleblowers who might speak up about unfair labor practices, and it could sow distrust in the NLRB's independence, they said.

[...] www.npr.org — April 15, 2025

Drilling into the hack details, Ars Technica explains how someone with super user access, went to great pains to try to cover up their digital tracks … suspicious? Nah, those DOGE Bros are just “super-tidy” ...

[...]

DOGE officials were to be given "the highest level of access and unrestricted access to internal systems," specifically "tenant owner" accounts in Microsoft Azure that come "with essentially unrestricted permission to read, copy, and alter data," Berulis wrote. These " permissions are above even my CIO's access level to our systems" and "well above what level of access is required to pull metrics, efficiency reports, and any other details that would be needed to assess utilization or usage of systems in our agency."

[...] To Berulis, these were signs of an attack on the NLRB systems . The methods used seemed to reflect "the desire of the attackers to work invisibly, leaving little to no obvious trace of their activities once removed."

[...] On March 7, Berulis says he "started tracking what appeared to be sensitive data leaving the secured location ." About 10GB of data was exfiltrated, but it was "unclear which files were copied and removed," he wrote. On that same day, Berulis says he reported his concerns about sensitive data being exfiltrated to CIO Prem Aburvasmy.

[...] arstechnica.com — April 16, 2025

Whistleblowers beware — “someone” out there sure takes it personally, when you decided to uphold your Oath of Office — and tread on their turf:

In the days after Berulis and his colleagues prepared a request for CISA's help investigating the breach, Berulis found a printed letter in an envelope taped to his door , which included threatening language, sensitive personal information and overhead pictures of him walking his dog, according to the cover letter attached to his official disclosure. It's unclear who sent it, but the letter made specific reference to his decision to report the breach. Law enforcement is investigating the letter. www.npr.org — April 15, 2025

The DOGE intimidation campaign continues ...

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“If DOGE wasn’t here before [NLRB], the story prompted them to pay us a visit today,” says a person with knowledge of the meeting who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak candidly. “All I know is that two to three people from DOGE are meeting with agency heads right now ,” the person said. The identity of the DOGE members visiting NLRB could not be confirmed. A few hours after the meeting ended on Wednesday afternoon, the agency’s chairman and general counsel sent an email to NLRB staffers, confirming that the meeting had taken place and announcing that DOGE will continue to be involved at the agency for the foreseeable future . “Two DOGE representatives will be detailed to the agency from GSA part-time for several months,” said the email, which was seen by Forbes. Musk has a history with the NLRB, which is an independent federal agency within the executive branch that enforces labor laws . In 2022, a group of former SpaceX employees lodged a complaint with the agency about discriminatory workplace conditions; SpaceX’s lawyers responded by alleging in federal court that the agency is unconstitutional , though the Fifth Circuit ruled against SpaceX’s claim in March. In a separate matter, a federal appeals court ruled in Musk’s favor last year after the NLRB ordered Musk to delete a tweet involving Tesla workers.

[...] www.forbes.com — April 16, 2025

Surprise, surprise. Musk has yet another personal axe to grind. This time it’s against the NLRB — the National Labor Relations Board.

So much for: being a so-called Free Speech “absolutist” — which is apparently only allowable when it’s speech that favors his businesses or his mercurial interests.

This Billionaire sure can hold a grudge … for almost as long as his comrade Donald.

It seems that they BOTH have at least one thing common — their hatred for Democracy and the Constitution … and any Law designed to help protect the Rights of Americans.

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