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The Pentagon's watchdog found that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the report's findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. CNN first reported the initial findings. The review by the Pentagon inspector general's office was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol. A partially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week. The findings ramp up the pressure on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers had called for the independent inquiry into his use of the commercially available app
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press. The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth's use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defence information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance. Known as a dirty" internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user's information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon's secured connections maintain. Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there's a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked. But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed the texting of sensitive plans for a military strike against Yemen's Houthis this month to a group chat that included a journalist, saying it was the only glitch in two months of his administration even as Democratic lawmakers heaped criticism on the administration for handling highly sensitive information carelessly. Trump told NBC News that the lapse turned out not to be a serious one", and expressed his continued support for national security advisor Mike Waltz. Waltz, according to an article posted online by The Atlantic on Monday, appeared to have mistakenly added the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a chat that included 18 senior administration officials discussing planning for the strike. Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he's a good man," Trump said. He also appeared to point blame on an unnamed Waltz aide for Goldberg being added to the chain. It was one of Michael's people on the phone. A staffer had h
The use of secured messaging applications like Signal, Telegram, Viber and the dark Web besides end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp by radical elements to connect with like-minded individuals is proving to be a "major challenge" for security agencies to counter online radicalisation, government said on Wednesday. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said as the extensive use of cyber technology is the main tool for propagating radical ideology, cyberspace is being monitored ceaselessly. The minister said at present, apart from state police, the NIA is investigating 67 cases relating to online radicalisation. In these cases, 325 accused have been arrested, 336 accused have been charge-sheeted and 63 accused have been convicted so far. "Cyber patrolling is done on a regular basis to identify and monitor such content and entities which are targeting gullible/depressed/ alienated youth," the minister said. He said websites and accounts .