From Breitbart: Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel — leaving some of the nation’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary, a ProPublica investigation has found.
A ProPublica investigation has uncovered that Microsoft is relying on engineers based in China to help maintain sensitive computer systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, with only minimal oversight from U.S. personnel. This arrangement, which Microsoft deems critical to winning the Pentagon’s cloud computing business, could potentially expose some of the country’s most sensitive data to espionage and hacking by China.
The system relies on U.S. workers with security clearances, known as “digital escorts,” to supervise the Chinese engineers and serve as a firewall against malicious activities. However, ProPublica found that these escorts often lack the advanced technical skills needed to effectively monitor the foreign workers, who possess far greater coding expertise. Some escorts are ex-military with little software engineering experience, earning barely above minimum wage.
While Microsoft claims it has disclosed details of this escort model to the government, former U.S. officials interviewed said they were unaware of the arrangement. Cybersecurity experts were also surprised, noting that this setup presents a prime opportunity for Chinese operatives to infiltrate U.S. networks.
Below is an excerpt from ProPublica:
Microsoft uses the escort system to handle the government’s most sensitive information that falls below “classified.” According to the government, this “high impact level” category includes “data that involves the protection of life and financial ruin.”
The “loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability” of this information “could be expected to have a severe or catastrophic adverse effect” on operations, assets and individuals, the government has said. In the Defense Department, the data is categorized as “Impact Level” 4 and 5 and includes materials that directly support military operations.
The report also notes that “it is difficult to know whether engineers overseen by digital escorts have ever carried out a cyberattack against the U.S. government.”
Harry Coker, a former senior executive at the CIA and the National Security Agency suggested it “could be part of an explanation for a lot of the challenges we have faced over the years.”
China expert and author Gordon Chang reacted to the ProPublica report, declaring, “Someone must go to jail for this: Engineers in China maintain the Pentagon’s computer systems.”
Someone must go to jail for this: Engineers in China maintain the Pentagon’s computer systems. https://t.co/ydRVeQthyw
— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) July 15, 2025
Microsoft uses engineers in China to help maintain Defense Dept. computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel — leaving some of the nation’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary.https://t.co/JQUN9zke3H
— ProPublica (@propublica) July 16, 2025
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