The Pentagon is replacing its long-running cybersecurity programs with standard tools from Microsoft in a move stirring opposition from senior IT leaders from the military services who warn that it may expose the network to foreign hackers, enemy cyber warriors and online spies, Newsweek reported on Tuesday, citing a former senior defense official
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th May, 2023) The Pentagon is replacing its long-running cybersecurity programs with standard tools from microsoft in a move stirring opposition from senior IT leaders from the military services who warn that it may expose the network to foreign hackers, enemy cyber warriors and online spies, Newsweek reported on Tuesday, citing a former senior defense official.
At a meeting with Pentagon Chief Information Officer John Sherman last fall, a clear majority of cyber professionals in the military services opposed the shift, raising concerns about growing reliance on a single software giant, according to the report.
"I was completely against it. A lot of us were, for the same reason: It felt like we were further embedding ourselves into this monopolistic (Microsoft) monoculture," a former senior defense official told the magazine.
The potential risks came to light in March, when Microsoft reported "a limited, targeted abuse of a vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook" attributed to a Russia-based threat actor, the report noted. Russia itself has repeatedly rejected hacking allegations, pointing to the lack of evidence to corroborate its alleged involvement.
According to Newsweek, Pentagon has exclusively used the Microsoft Windows operating system on all its four million-plus desktop computers. Almost 3 million active duty and reserve military personnel, as well as 750,000 civilian employees use different Microsoft products, including Outlook or Office, according to the report.
Now, the Department of Defense is planning to use Microsoft Defender, which provides a set of cybersecurity tools. Pentagon Deputy Chief Information Officer David McKeown told the magazine that the program would provide an integrated cybersecurity solution to secure networks.
The report also said, citing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), that as of April, 258 out of 919 discovered cyber vulnerabilities were related to Microsoft. This is more than the total number of similar issues related to the products of other big vendors combined - Cisco, Adobe, Apple, Google, and Oracle, it added.
However, not only the Pentagon heavily relies on Microsoft, the report said. Across the Federal government, 85% of personnel are using its programs for emails and other purposes, it added.
