Protect Your Digital Security: Essential Tips for Protesters in the Age of Surveillance
Stay safe and private during protests with these expert-recommended security measures to protect your phone, data, and identity.
Starfolk
Elon Musk's DOGE website, launched in January to document the cost-cutting efforts of his team, has been left wide open for anyone to edit due to an insecure database. This security flaw has allowed unauthorized users to push changes to the live website, with at least two database entries added to mock the site's lack of security.
The discovery was made by two web development experts who reported the issue to 404Media on Friday. They found that the doge.gov website is pulling from a database that can be accessed and updated by third parties, allowing anyone to make changes to the site's content. The experts described the website as "feeling like it was completely slapped together" and noted that it doesn't appear to be running on government servers, despite displaying a banner claiming to be an official website of the United States government.
The security flaw is particularly concerning given the sensitive nature of the data that DOGE has access to. The organization has gained unprecedented access to US financial systems, with data on millions of Americans. This lack of security raises questions about the organization's ability to protect sensitive information.
This is not the first time that the White House's website administration practices have been called into question. Just last week, the newly created waste.gov site was hidden and locked down after it was found to be mostly displaying an unedited WordPress template. The DOGE website's security issues are another example of the administration's poor track record when it comes to website security.
Despite the website's security issues, Elon Musk touted the organization's transparency during an Oval Office press conference on Tuesday. He claimed that DOGE's cost-cutting actions have been "maximally transparent" because the organization was publishing its activity to X and the DOGE website. However, at the time of the press conference, the DOGE website was still largely empty, with only three lines of text and a cartoony logo that has since been removed.
Since the doge.org site was updated on Thursday, it now pulls in posts published to the DOGE X account, alongside various stats about US government regulations and its federal workforce. However, the website's security issues remain a major concern, and it is unclear when or if they will be addressed.
The incident raises broader questions about the security practices of government websites and the organizations that have access to sensitive data. As the use of digital platforms continues to grow, it is essential that these platforms are secured to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive information.
Stay safe and private during protests with these expert-recommended security measures to protect your phone, data, and identity.
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