Microsoft to Stop Using China-Based Teams to Support Department of Defense

Microsoft to stop using China-based teams to support Department of Defense

Last week, Microsoft announced that it would no longer use China-based engineering teams to support the Defense Department’s cloud computing systems, following ProPublica’s investigation of the practice, which cybersecurity experts said could expose the government to hacking and espionage. But it turns out the Pentagon was not the only part of the government facing such a threat. For years, Microsoft has also used its global workforce, including…

Microsoft Program Exposes Pentagon Computers to Potential Chinese Cyberattacks

An investigation by Pro-Publica has exposed that for nearly a decade, Microsoft has used engineers in China to help maintain highly sensitive Defense Department computer systems.  Microsoft hired “digital escorts” to oversee the work of the Chinese engineers, but, according to the report, these digital escorts include former military personnel with little coding experience who are paid barely more than minimum wage for the work and who lack the …

Lawmaker Questions Pentagon Over Chinese Engineers Tied to Microsoft Contract

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has requested details from the Pentagon regarding the extent of information shared with Chinese engineers involved in a Microsoft cloud services contract. Cotton, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dated July 24 requesting findings from an internal two-week review announced by the Pentagon chief on July 18. Hegseth ordered the review after finding out …

Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data

by Renee Dudley, with research by Doris Burke ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Last week, Microsoft announced that it would no longer use China-based engineering teams to support the Defense Department’s cloud computing systems, following ProPublica’s investigation of the practice, which cybersecurity experts said could expose the government…

Microsoft Halts China-Based Engineers on DoD Cloud Amid Espionage Risks

In a significant shift amid escalating U.S.-China tensions, Microsoft Corp. has announced it will cease using China-based engineering teams to provide technical support for the U.S. Department of Defense’s cloud computing systems. The decision, revealed late last week, follows a bombshell investigation by ProPublica that exposed potential vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s “digital escort” program, where engineers in China remotely guided American p…