China Tech Threat has actively followed and reported on the Department of Defense Inspector General’s audit of the purchase of large quantities of commercial “off-the-shelf” IT equipment manufactured by Chinese brands which are known to have security vulnerabilities. The audit was made public on July 30, 2019, and found that there were millions of dollars worth of Lenovo laptops, Lexmark printers, and GoPro cameras purchased by the Pentagon.
DoD Report In the News:
The Cybersecurity 202: Chinese-built tech poses danger throughout the Pentagon, lawmaker warns
Joseph Marks, The Washington Post, August 22, 2019
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and other China hawks are sounding an alarm about commercial products, such as cameras, printers and laptops, from China being purchased by the Pentagon.
Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense
Jamie McIntyre, The Washington Examiner, August 21, 2019
Another DoD IG report, released last month, is the subject of a 10 a.m. media teleconference by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher. The heavily redacted declassified July 26 report uncovered $33 million worth of purchases by Army and Air Force personnel in 2018 in Chinese electronics, including household name brands like Lexmark, GoPro, and Lenovo, that are already banned by other federal agencies and open the door to hacks and spying of military personnel and facilities. Gallagher will be joined by Roslyn Layton, co-creator of ChinaTechThreat.com, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and visiting researcher at Aalborg University.
Playing Defense Against Chinese Tech Threats ‘Will Only Get Us So Far,’ Lawmaker Says
Jack Corrigan, NextGov, August 21, 2019
Rep. Mike Gallagher said the government needs to take a more active role in curbing the global rise of Huawei and other Chinese tech companies.
Rep. Gallagher, Cyber Solarium co-chair, flags weaknesses in DoD micro-purchases, global 5G build-out
Mariam Baksh, Inside Cybersecurity, August 22, 2019
With a recent Pentagon oversight report on cyber risks and “micro-purchases” as a starting point, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) on Wednesday offered an assessment of macro cybersecurity issues and a call for U.S. assistance in the global build-out of fifth generation network infrastructure.
Lawmaker sounds alarm on supply chain risk
Lauren C. Williams, Federal Computer Week (FCW), August 22, 2019
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) wants the U.S. government to take its supply chain security problems more seriously.
On a conference call with reporters, Gallagher, a co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, cited a recent oversight report that showed that Defense Department personnel used government purchase cards to buy off-the-shelf technology with known vulnerabilities.
House lawmaker flags weaknesses in DOD micro-purchases, global 5G build-out
Mariam Baksh, Inside Defense, August 22, 2019
With a recent Pentagon oversight report on cyber risks and “micro-purchases” as a starting point, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) on Wednesday offered an assessment of macro cybersecurity issues and a call for U.S. assistance in the global build-out of fifth-generation network infrastructure.
Can Congress legislate a secure technology supply chain for the Pentagon?
Kelsey D. Atherton, Fifth Domain, August 26, 2019
The problem with computers is that they talk to one another. This is a great selling point, the seamless flow of information from relevant machine to relevant machine, but asset becomes liability the moment the computer holds secrets, or is in a position to collect secrets. Especially if those secrets then make their way in to the hands of the Chinese government.
This is why Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Roslyn Layton of China Tech Threat spoke Aug. 21 in support of banning commercial products they fear are particularly subject to compromise.
Teleconference Highlights
Highlights from a teleconference featuring Rep. Mike Gallagher(WI-08) and ChinaTechThreat.com co-founder Dr. Roslyn Layton. Rep. Gallagher and Dr. Layton discussed a Department of Defense Inspector General report which documented over 9,000 purchases of Chinese-manufactured hardware and electronics with “known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.”
Timeline
July 30, 2019
DoD Inspector General Issues Report: Audit of the DoD’s Management of the Cybersecurity Risks for Government Purchase Card Purchases of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Items
August 2019
CTT Responds to IG Report in a Memo to Policymakers, Media and Experts: “DoD Must Act to Eliminate Suspicious Technology Manufacturers.
August 21, 2019
U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (WI-08) joined ChinaTechThreat.com co-founder Dr. Roslyn Layton to call on the Department of Defense to provide robust plans to counter the cybersecurity threats identified by the agency’s Inspector General in its recent report,