More than 11,000 federal employees had access to sensitive documents, including floor plans of the White House and information about suppliers, due to a digital security course that spanned for a few years, according to a report from the Washington Post.
The infringement, who started during the administration of former President Joe Biden and was also involved in the current administration of President Donald Trump, involved at least 15 files stored in a Google Drive folder managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).
Officials said that the documents contain potentially sensitive material, such as proposed explosion door designs for the visitor center of the White House and files marked as “controlled non -classified information” (CUI).
The files were accessible to the entire GSA staff file – more than 11,000 employees – and some were editable. The GSA has started an internal investigation and one Cyber Security -incident report is underway.
The exaggerated began at the beginning of 2021, during the term of office of former President Joe Biden, and went on as recently as last week. Internal investigations and a cyber security incident report have since been launched.
“This kind of mistake is a challenge in all administrations,” said Michael Williams, a professor of Syracuse University who studies international safety. “These are absolutely no documents that you want to share with 11,200 people.”
Although it is unclear whether the floor plans of the East and West Wing are formally classified, experts say that documents contain detailed layouts or embedded security infrastructure are normally closely monitored. “Even if they are not formally classified, they would be limited to obvious safety reasons,” said Steven Aftergood, a former safety policy analyst at the Federation of American Scientists.
One of the earliest infringements took place in March 2021 when a safety investigation with East Wing Blueprints was shared by freedom of choice. A similar incident followed in the west wing, including the Oval Office, Situation Room and Cabinet Room. Allegedly, these files remained accessible for years.
The GSA said it has protocols for detecting inappropriate files, including automated scans and mandatory annual training. “Internal operating elements are not perfect,” an old employee told The Post. “But it’s not like we’ll make things happen.”
Nine out of 15 files were marked as a CUI – an indication for sensitive but non -classified material – and at least ten could be viewed and processed by everyone within the desk. The infringement not only included architectural blueprints, but also because of the layouts of the courthouse, project manuals and financial data.
The GSAs Office of Inspector General has revealed the course during an audit of the Google Drive use of the desk. The issue was marked for the IT incident response team last Tuesday and authorizations of files had been withdrawn by Thursday. So far, researchers have not been able to reach the owners of the compromised files.
According to WSJ, neither the White House nor the GSA has given a comment. A representative for former President Biden also refused to respond.
This incident contributes to a series of security missteps among both administrations. During President Trump’s term of office, officials wrongly recorded the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic Ocean in a group cat discussing military planning and used personal Gmail accounts for sensitive communication. A Special Counsel report from 2023 criticized former President Biden for storing classified notebooks in his home.
In the meantime, a separate controversy unfolds on the Pentagon. The American Minister of Defense Pete Hegseeth is being examined for alleged classified air attack plans in a private signal group with his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to the New York Times.
The Chat reportedly contained flight schedules for F/A-18 Hornets involved in American activities in Yemen. In contrast to an earlier leak in March – where a journalist was wrongly added – the signal group was reportedly made by Hegseeth himself.
This is the second time that Hegseeth is accused of wrong action of classified military information. The Pentagon Inspector General is now investigating both incidents. Those in the signal group reportedly include Hegseeth’s wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer; His brother Phil; And his personal lawyer Tim Parlatore.
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