As cited
Copy frozen at (site build).
breaches incidents
US gov IT worker pleads guilty to sending Top Secret files to Ethiopia
A US government IT specialist with Top Secret clearance pleaded guilty to espionage after transmitting at least 133 classified intelligence reports to Ethiopian officials between 2021 and 2023. Abraham Teklu Lemma, who worked across the National Reconnaissance Office, State Department, and Justice Department, copied classified documents, removed their markings, and exfiltrated them via encrypted messaging while also storing copies on personal drives that were accessed remotely. He received over $66,000 in deposits during the period and faces 10 to 22 years in prison.
Why it matters: Government security teams and insider threat programs must review access controls for IT staff with downdraft authority and classified system privileges, as this case shows how an authorized user exploited legitimate access to exfiltrate bulk classified material over months without detection.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker