Elon Musk Podcast DOGE put Social Security numbers on cloud server at risk of hacking
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Sep 29, 2025 A former Trump aide's role in a major federal data breach raises eyebrows as sensitive Social Security numbers were exposed by Doge Labs. Misconfigurations left this information vulnerable for months, affecting Medicare and VA recipients. Controversial claims suggest the company may have misused government resources to push a meme coin, sparking outrage on Capitol Hill. As investigations intensify, Doge Labs shuts down and prepares for potential legal battles, highlighting critical issues in federal contracting and data security.
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Unvetted Startup Won Sensitive Contract
- Doge Labs, a crypto startup run by Tommy Rensing, secured a federal bot-detection contract despite little public track record.
- The pilot program fast-tracked vendors with AI/ML claims and approved Doge Labs without full infrastructure vetting.
Configuration Failures Exposed Sensitive Data
- Misconfigurations left a staging server public, exposing Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and benefit payment details.
- Investigators found data accessible and downloaded over five weeks before the server was taken offline.
Enforce Access Controls Before Deployment
- Enforce basic access controls and remove public staging servers containing real PII immediately.
- Vet vendors' infrastructure and compliance before granting access to federal systems handling citizen data.