Secret documents could be “only the tip of the iceberg”.

security risk

Leaked secret documents could be “just the tip of the iceberg”.

The United States describes the publication of the secret documents from the Pentagon as a “very big security risk”. But it could get worse.

published10. April 2023, 22:34

The Pentagon is currently feverishly investigating an information leak.

imago images/UIG

• According to experts, the leaked secret documents from the Pentagon not only endanger Ukraine’s war successes, but also the security of the USA itself.

• The US secret services are therefore feverishly searching for the source or sources that published them.

• Now it has become known that some of the documents have been circulating on the web for months – and more could follow.

• They were initially distributed via channels that are primarily used by “Minecraft” gamers.

Die Release of secret US documents on the Internet has alarmed the government in Washington. The fact that the documents circulated online was “a very high risk to national security,” said a spokesman for the US Department of Defense on Monday. According to the “New York Times”, the documents contain, among other things, information on US and NATO plans to support a Ukrainian military offensive against Russia in the spring.

The process has “the potential to spread false information,” said Pentagon spokesman Chris Meagher. “We’re still investigating how that happened and how big the problem is.” Among other things, it must be checked “how this type of information is distributed and to whom”. Meagher did not provide any information on the authenticity of the documents that emerged. However, experts are convinced that individual documents were manipulated.

Twitter, Telegram, Discord

The secret US government documents gradually appeared on online platforms such as Twitter, Telegram, Discord and other platforms. According to the New York Times, they were distributed through pro-Russian channels. According to the newspaper, they included details about weapon deliveries, battalion strength and other sensitive military information. A document also summarizes the training plans of twelve Ukrainian combat brigades. The papers also show that Ukraine will soon S-300 anti-aircraft missiles could go out. Many of the documents had apparently been printed out and photographed, as evidenced by the traces of folding on the paper.

According to US media, the documents could prove extremely valuable for Moscow. They showed how far US secret services had already penetrated parts of the Russian military apparatus. These documents could help Russia to identify and eliminate moles in its own ranks.

The first papers were already leaked in October

Although the data leak only became public shortly before Easter, the first documents are said to have been published last October, especially on Discord. Users told the Bellingcat research platform that the papers came from a small server called Thug Shaker Central. In February, a user is said to have shared 107 documents on a larger server operated by a gamer from the Philippines. A few days later, they apparently appeared on a server used by players of the computer game “Minecraft” – among the secret documents was a handwritten note with the strengths and weaknesses of a role-playing character. From these servers, they spread further through the forum 4Chan and Telegram.

Experts fear that the previously known leaked papers could only be the tip of the iceberg and that many more secrets could come to light.

Secretly collected information from partner countries

According to the New York Times, some documents also contain information about internal debates in governments of US allies – such as discussions about whether South Korea should make artillery shells available for use in Ukraine. US government officials told the Washington Post that some of the documents had apparently been manipulated. However, many other documents are consistent with the reports of the US foreign intelligence service CIA on the international situation, which are intended exclusively for management levels in the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department.

The incident brings back memories of the disclosure of around 700,000 confidential documents related to US military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan Online platform Wikileaks in 2010. This included explosive information about the killing of civilians and the mistreatment of prisoners. Because of the revelations, the US is still demanding the extradition of 51-year-old Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is being held in a high-security prison in London.

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(trx/AFP)