- A Dutch business owner says millions of US military emails are being sent to Mali.
- People are sending sensitive information to ".ml" accounts instead of ".mil" ones, he told the FT.
- Johannes Zuurbier said the emails sent to the Russian ally contained maps and personal records.
A Dutch entrepreneur says the Russian-allied nation of Mali has for years been receiving millions of US military emails with sensitive information — all because of a typo.
Johannes Zuurbier, who was contracted to manage Mali's country email domain, said he'd been trying to alert the Pentagon to the security issue for the past decade, the Financial Times reported.
The mix-up stems from US military personnel, as well as people attempting to contact the military, sending their emails to ".ml" accounts — the domain owned by Mali's government — instead of ".mil" accounts, Zuurbier told the FT.
None of these emails were classified, but some contained highly sensitive information, the FT said. Zuurbier said he was sent information such as maps, personal medical records, tax records, crew lists for ships, and photos of bases.
One email contained the official travel itinerary for Gen. James McConville, the US Army chief of staff, and his delegation for a trip to Indonesia in May. It included their room numbers and details including how McConville could collect his room key, the FT reported.
Other emails included diplomatic letters, terrorism assessments and briefings, and State Department passport numbers.
Zuurbier told the FT he'd seen about 1,000 emails a day being sent to the wrong domain. He's tried to warn the US by alerting Dutch diplomats, a senior national cybersecurity advisor, and White House officials, but the problem persists, the FT said.
His contract to manage the domain was set to expire Monday. This means Mali's government now has access to the domain and further emails received, the FT added.
Russia has given significant support to the Malian government, including weapons, diplomatic backing, and help with information campaigns. The Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary company linked to the Kremlin, also operates in Mali.
A Pentagon spokesperson, Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman, told the FT that the Defense Department "is aware of this issue and takes all unauthorized disclosures of controlled national security information or controlled unclassified information seriously."
US military email accounts also notify personnel if they try sending a message to addresses with the ".ml" domain and will automatically block the email from being sent, Gorman added.
The Pentagon and the Malian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.