Whistleblower Wednesday Lecture Notes

Key Figures and Context

• Donald Trump and Elon Musk: Mentioned in context of historical actions and current issues.
  • Trump: Historically asked Russia for help with emails.
  • Musk: Mentioned in relation to Dogecoin and its implications.

Breaking Story Overview

• Focus: Issues concerning Dogecoin (Doge), Starlink, Trump, Musk, and their connections to Russia.
• Main Concern: Data from the US Treasury and other agencies being compromised.

Whistleblower Details

• Speaker: Daniel, a new whistleblower from NLRB (National Labor Relations Board).
• Role: Daniel has been with the agency for under a year.
• Issue Detected: Unusual data movement within the NLRB.
  • Large spikes in data leaving the NLRB, which is rare.
  • Indicators of potential breaches and foreign access, especially Russian IP addresses.

Data and Cybersecurity Concerns

• Data Breaches:
  • Significant information purportedly accessed through Starlink.
  • Concerns about how Doge managed data within NLRB systems.
• Impact on Infrastructure:
  • Critical infrastructure and agencies like the Department of Energy unintentionally exposed to the open internet.
  • Potential for foreign adversaries to access sensitive information.

Threats and Investigations

• Threat to Whistleblower:
  • Daniel received a personal threat at his new residence.
  • Information in threat note could only be accessed through internal government databases.
  • External surveillance (drone) over Daniel’s residence noted.
• Investigation:
  • Daniel and colleagues initiated a formal investigation request to CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency).

Broader Implications

• Potential Data Leak: If 10 GB of personal data left US Treasury, it could be the largest leak in US history.
  • Contextualized as a significant risk in the digital age.

Closing Advice

• Stay Aware: Encouragement to remain informed and vigilant about ongoing developments.
• Community Engagement: Importance of staying connected and discussing these issues with peers.

Note: This lecture highlights significant data security concerns and the role of whistleblowers in uncovering potential breaches at a governmental level. The implications on national security and international relations are profound. Stay informed and vigilant.