Dangers of DOGE access to the US payment system

A significant development has emerged from the US Department of the Treasury, which received a confidential alert regarding an "unprecedented insider threat risk" linked to the access of the cryptocurrency organisation DOGE, controlled by Elon Musk, to the country's sensitive payment system. 

According to The Washington Post, information about the potential threat was passed on by a contractor managing the threat centre for the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The publication reports that this information was shared with department staff on Monday. The document contained recommendations to immediately restrict DOGE's access to the system, as well as to conduct a thorough review of changes made by the organisation's employees. The situation has become particularly alarming, given that DOGE operates under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk.

Sources claim that senior officials at the Department of the Treasury previously sent a memorandum to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which also contained similar warnings. The risk mitigation recommendations outlined in the document were approved by Bessent.

The US Department of the Treasury's payment system processes over $5 trillion annually, including critical operations such as Social Security payments, tax refunds, and veterans' benefits. This heightens concerns regarding potential vulnerabilities.

Court order restricts DOGE access to US citizens' data

Against this backdrop, on Saturday, federal judge Paul Engelmayer issued an emergency order prohibiting DOGE from accessing Americans' personal and financial data. In his ruling, the judge noted that such access could lead to "irreparable harm" to citizens.

The lawsuit against DOGE was filed by the attorneys general of 19 states, including New York, California, and Illinois, who argue that Musk's organisation has no legal basis for working with the Treasury's payment system. Court documents state that DOGE used third-party artificial intelligence to process government data, raising additional concerns about potential abuses.

The Donald Trump administration maintained that Musk's team had read-only access to the system's data, but this did not reassure civil servants and security experts.

Personnel changes at the Treasury: resignation and appointment

On Friday, personnel changes at the US Department of the Treasury were announced. Tom Krause, a Silicon Valley manager, was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Fiscal Policy. This appointment was a response to the resignation of his predecessor, David Lebrecht, who left his post due to disagreements with DOGE's decisions, including the suspension of foreign aid.

Additionally, another DOGE employee, 25-year-old Marco Eraz, resigned after his racist remarks were discovered on social media. Despite this, Elon Musk, as well as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, called for Eraz's return to the administration.