The Pentagon is investigating a “critical compromise” of communications within the Air Force, after an engineer at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee allegedly gained unauthorized access to radio communications technology affecting 17 Air Force facilities from home, Forbes reported. The 48-year-old engineer, whose name Forbes did not disclose, reportedly took home nearly $90,000 worth of government radio technologies and gained “unauthorized administrator access” to the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC). In a raid on the engineer’s home, law enforcement also found a computer running a software that “contained the entire Arnold Air Force Base (AAFB) communications system,” as well as evidence of possible access to the FBI’s and several Tennessee state agencies’ communications, according to a search warrant obtained by Forbes. A co-worker had reported the engineer on two occasions over “insider threat indicators” and his unauthorized possession of equipment, according to Forbes. Despite holding a relatively low-ranking position in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira had access to the Pentagon’s Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System as a technology support staffer.

Source: Forbes July 29, 2023 17:09 UTC