By Stephen Nellis
SAN FRANCISCO, July 18 (Reuters)
The geopolitical conflicts between the United States and China have now taken a new chapter, and even Microsoft is involved. The United States is concerned about cloud computing projects planned by China for the U.S. Department of Defense. This has raised alarm bells in Washington, given the recent instability in diplomatic relations between the two countries, and has led them to want to protect Microsoft at any cost. Learn more about the subject.
Microsoft may have exposed national security weaknesses
Microsoft MSFT.O on Friday said it will stop using China-based engineers to provide technical assistance to the U.S. military after a report in investigative journalism outlet ProPublica sparked questions from a U.S. senator and prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to order a two-week review of Pentagon cloud deals.
The report detailed Microsoft’s use of Chinese engineers to work on U.S. military cloud computing systems under the supervision of U.S. “digital escorts” hired through subcontractors who have security clearances but often lacked the technical skills to assess whether the work of the Chinese engineers posed a cybersecurity threat.
Microsoft, a major contractor to the U.S. government, has had its systems breached by Chinese and Russian hackers. It told ProPublica it disclosed its practices to the U.S. government during an authorization process. On Friday, Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw said on the social media website X that the company changed how it supports U.S. government customers “in response to concerns raised earlier this week … to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance” for services used by the Pentagon.
Pentagon resolves to respond with emergency measures
The US is deeply concerned about the presence of foreign professionals in critical national security structures, even if only indirectly, which could be worrying. This has raised concerns in the country, which has begun demanding greater transparency in hiring, particularly for professionals related to China.
Earlier on Friday, Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the chamber’s intelligence committee and also serves on its armed services committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Microsoft’s reported practices. Cotton asked the U.S. military for a list of contractors that use Chinese personnel and more information on how U.S. “digital escorts” are trained to detect suspicious activity.
“The U.S. government recognizes that China’s cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States, as evidenced by infiltration of our critical infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and supply chains,” Cotton wrote in the letter. The U.S. military “must guard against all potential threats within its supply chain, including those from subcontractors,” he wrote.
In a video posted on X on Friday, Hegseth said he was initiating a two-week review to ensure China-based engineers were not working on any other cloud services contracts across the Defense Department. “I’m announcing that China will no longer have any involvement whatsoever in our cloud services, effective immediately,” Hegseth said in the video. “We will continue to monitor and counter all threats to our military infrastructure and online networks.”
The potential exclusion of Chinese engineers from this area of national security, particularly in cloud contracts, addresses a vulnerability for the US. The Pentagon’s hardening of digital security is an attempt to restore international credibility, but above all, to the country itself.
Policy change ends up revealing flaws
While the US is undergoing a shift to strengthen its digital defense — similar to Microsoft’s change in its technical support model — it still grapples with weaknesses and international outsourcing, which are concerning for the country in the current climate. In the cybersecurity field, there’s no margin for error, and the US Congress is pressuring the Pentagon to review the agreements.
GCN.com/Reuters
