Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told the AP. Known as a "dirty" internet line in the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user's information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon's secured connections maintain. The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth's use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive information could have been put at risk of hacking or surveillance.
Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there's a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked. But the biggest advantage of such a line is that the user would not show up as an IP address assigned to the Defense Department—essentially the user is masked, according to a senior official familiar with military network security. At the same time, the line can expose users to hacking and surveillance. A "dirty" line—like any public internet connection—also may lack the recordkeeping compliance required by federal law, the official said. Hegseth initially was going to the back area of his office where he could access Wi-Fi to use his devices, one person said, before he requested a line at his desk where he could use his own computer. That meant at times there were three computers around his desk—a personal computer, another for classified information, and a third for sensitive defense information, both people said. Because electronic devices are vulnerable to spying, no one is supposed to have them in the defense secretary's office.
Two people familiar with the line told the AP that Hegseth had it set up in his office to use the Signal app, which has become a flashpoint following revelations that he posted sensitive details about a military airstrike in two chats. One of the chats included his wife and brother, while the other included President Trump's top national security officials. Asked about Hegseth's use of Signal in his office, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the defense secretary's "use of communications systems and channels is classified" but added in a statement, "We can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer."
story continues below
The Pentagon has a variety of secure ways that enable Hegseth and other military leaders to communicate:
- The Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network can handle the lowest levels of sensitive information. It allows some access to the internet but is firewalled and has levels of cybersecurity that a "dirty" line does not. It cannot handle information labeled as secret.
- The Secure Internet Protocol Router Network is used for secret-level classified information.
- The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System is for top-secret and secret compartmentalized information, which is some of the highest levels of secrecy, also known as TS/SCI.
(More
Pete Hegseth stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
