Latest news with #US-supervised
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
US lawmaker demands more answers on Microsoft's China-based tech support for Pentagon
A US lawmaker is pushing the Pentagon for more transparency regarding information shared with Chinese engineers under a cloud computing services contract with Microsoft . According to a report, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, requesting detailed information on the extent of access Chinese engineers had to US military data. Citing his letter, news agency Reuters, Cotton specifically asked Hegseth to provide details on three fronts. Provide lawmakers with details on what information Chinese engineers accessed. Disclose any 'potential security incidents or malicious events that have already occurred or are likely to occur.' Confirm whether Microsoft was required to conduct self-audits of the program and, if so, to release the results of those audits. Cotton voices concern regarding Pentagon's current practices Cotton expressed significant concern over the Pentagon's existing practices. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo 'While I applaud your actions, I am concerned that the Department [of Defense] is hampered by agreements and practices unwisely adopted by your predecessors, including contracts and oversight processes that fail to account for the growing Chinese threat,' he said. Senator Cotton's inquiry follows a report by ProPublica, which revealed Microsoft's practice of using China-based engineers, supervised by US "digital escorts," to provide technical support for US military operations. Following the ProPublica report, Hegseth ordered a two-week review across the department to ensure that other contractors are not engaging in similar practices that could pose security risks. Last week, Microsoft announced it has ceased this practice. 'In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services. We remain committed to providing the most secure services possible to the US government, including working with our national security partners to evaluate and adjust our security protocols as needed,' said Frank Shaw, Chief Communications Officer at Microsoft. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
20-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Microsoft stops using Chinese tech support for this customer over national security concerns
Microsoft has announced a major policy shift, cutting off technical support from its China-based engineering teams for US defence clients using its cloud services. The move comes just days after an explosive ProPublica investigation revealed how the US Department of Defence (DoD) relied on Microsoft software engineers located in China, a situation that sparked concerns over national security and cyber a statement posted to X on Friday, Frank Shaw, Microsoft's Chief Communications Officer, confirmed the change: 'In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services.' The policy revision directly impacts Microsoft Azure, the company's cloud services division, which now accounts for over 25 per cent of Microsoft's global revenue, larger than Google Cloud but still behind Amazon Web Services. The company's most recent earnings report noted that more than half of its $70 billion in Q1 revenue was generated from US-based clients, with a substantial chunk tied to government isn't the first time Microsoft's cloud involvement with the US military has drawn scrutiny. Back in 2019, the company secured a $10 billion cloud contract with the Pentagon, only for it to be cancelled in 2021 after legal disputes. By 2022, Microsoft was again one of the chosen vendors in a $9 billion multi-supplier defence cloud deal alongside Amazon, Google, and ProPublica report, which prompted the recent policy overhaul, revealed that Chinese Azure engineers were managed remotely by US-based supervisors known as 'digital escorts', individuals who reportedly had less technical knowledge than the staff they were overseeing. According to the report, this system could leave critical US defence infrastructure vulnerable to foreign Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth didn't mince words in response. 'This is obviously unacceptable, especially in today's digital threat environment,' he said in a video posted on X. Hegseth criticised the structure as 'a legacy system created over a decade ago, during the Obama administration,' and confirmed the Department of Defence would review its infrastructure for similar on DOD's cloud services Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 18, 2025While Microsoft initially defended its operations, claiming that its teams followed US regulations, it has since promised to undergo further scrutiny and cooperate with national security partners. 'We remain committed to providing the most secure services possible to the US government, including working with our national security partners to evaluate and adjust our security protocols as needed,' Shaw incident highlights the growing tension between global tech operations and national security expectations, a balancing act that's becoming increasingly difficult in today's high-stakes cyber environment.- Ends
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft changes support policy for US government customers after 'national security threatening report': 'No China-based engineering teams...'
Representative Image Microsoft has introduced changes to its support policy for US government customers. The tech giant has confirmed that "no China-based engineering teams " will provide technical support for US defence clients using its cloud services. This revision follows a report by ProPublica that detailed the US Defence Department's reliance on Microsoft-hired software engineers who are based in China. The report also prompted US Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) to send a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking details of the tech giant's alleged use of Chinese engineers for US military systems, as it raised concerns about potential national security risks. What Microsoft said about changing its US government customer policy In a post shared on the social media platform X (earlier Twitter), Frank Shaw, Microsoft's chief communications officer, wrote: 'In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo We remain committed to providing the most secure services possible to the US government, including working with our national security partners to evaluate and adjust our security protocols as needed.' The ProPublica report noted that Microsoft's Chinese Azure engineers are supervised by US-based 'digital escorts,' who often have less technical expertise than the overseas engineers they oversee. The report suggested that this setup could expose the US to potential cyber threats from China . In a recent video posted on X, Hegseth signed a memo for a review to check if cheap Chinese labour is being used in any other parts of the Defence Department. In the video, he said: ' Earlier this week, we were alerted to a potential vulnerability in our DOD computer systems, and we've been checking into it ever since. It turns out that some tech companies have been using cheap Chinese labour to assist with DOD cloud services. This is obviously unacceptable, especially in today's digital threat environment. Now, this was a legacy system created over a decade ago during the Obama Administration, but we have to ensure the digital systems that we use here at the Defence Department are ironclad and impenetrable, and that's why, today, I'm announcing that China will no longer have any involvement whatsoever in our cloud services effective immediately. And at my direction, the department will also initiate as fast as we can. A two-week review or faster to make sure that what we uncovered isn't happening anywhere else across the DoD. We will continue to monitor and counter all threats to our military infrastructure and online networks.' Philips TAS1209 Review: Why you must get this Bluetooth Speaker AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
CNBC
18-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Microsoft stops relying on Chinese engineers for Pentagon cloud support
Microsoft on Friday revised its practices to ensure that engineers in China no longer provide technical support to U.S. defense clients using the company's cloud services. The company implemented the changes in an effort to reduce national security and cybersecurity risks stemming from its cloud work with a major customer. The announcement came days after ProPublica published an extensive report describing the Defense Department's dependence on Microsoft software engineers in China. "In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services," Frank Shaw, the Microsoft's chief communications officer, wrote in a Friday X post. The change impacts the work of Microsoft's Azure cloud services division, which analysts estimate now generates more than 25% of the company's revenue. That makes Azure bigger than Google Cloud but smaller than Amazon Web Services. Microsoft receives "substantial revenue from government contracts," according to its most recent quarterly earnings statement, and more than half of the company's $70 billion in first-quarter revenue came from customers based in the U.S. In 2019, Microsoft won a $10 billion cloud-related defense contract, but the Pentagon wound up canceling it in 2021 after a legal battle. In 2022, the department gave cloud contracts worth up to $9 billion in total to Amazon, Google, Oracle and Microsoft. ProPublica reported that the work of Microsoft's Chinese Azure engineers is overseen by "digital escorts" in the U.S., who typically have less technical prowess than the employees they manage overseas. The report detailed how the "digital escort" arrangement might leave the U.S. vulnerable to a cyberattack from China. Microsoft originally told ProPublica that employees and contractors were operating in adherence to U.S. government rules. "We remain committed to providing the most secure services possible to the US government, including working with our national security partners to evaluate and adjust our security protocols as needed," Shaw wrote.
Watani
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Watani
Israeli-Iranian conflict.. When events defy reason
I was preparing to cover the ramifications of the Ukrainian assault on Russian military and civilian targets in the heart of Russia, and the consequent Russian retaliatory strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian urban and infrastructure targets, when the pivot of events shifted from Ukraine to Iran. A few days prior to Israel's attack on Iran, Iranian media had announced that Tehran was in possession of a vast trove of classified, strategic Israeli material that included files relating to Israel's strategic military and nuclear facilities, and its strategic defence arms. The world attempted to grasp how such a move would impact the US-supervised nuclear talks between Iran and Israel regarding Iran's enrichment of Uranium for peaceful purposes—meaning by under 3.75 per cent. President Trump called Iran to the negotiation table to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict. But on 13 June the world woke up to Operation Rising Lions which had started during that night, and in which Israel struck strategic targets in Tehran, Natanz, Isfahan, Arak, Kermanshah and Tabriz. Presidential, military and administrative facilities were hit, as well as military airbases, bombers, and ballistic missile carriers. As I write this, everyone is closely monitoring the Israeli assault and Iran's retaliatory response, but we cannot narrow down the conflict to that. The coming days will open the doors to all possibilities; the Israeli-Iranian conflict can get out of hand, especially as the parties involved abandon negotiations and let the battlefield resolve the conflict. The question that begs an answer, however, is: If Iran was indeed in possession of strategic and sensitive classified Israeli documents, why did it hesitate to launch an attack against Israel that would have secured a military advantage for Iran, one that it could have exported to the negotiation table? Instead, what actually took place is that, as soon as news circulated about Iran's possession of Israeli classified material, Israel launched a surprise pre-emptive strike against Iran, targeting presidential, military and nuclear facilities causing damages so huge that it severely curtailed Iran's capacity to respond, and hence its control over the conflict. An equally important issue that cannot be discounted is the role of the US, especially under President Trump, in steering global conflicts on all fronts. Given the US President's hiccups and inconsistent declarations on global issues one and all ever since he took oath last January, and his alienation of both friends and foes, it has become increasingly evident that he can neither be trusted nor his declarations believed. When it comes to the Iranian-Israeli negotiations, President Trump had repeatedly stressed his commitment to resolving the conflict through negotiation, urging Iran to make every effort to reach an agreement that would limit its uranium enrichment to levels strictly for peaceful purposes. It might appear that, despite Trump's inconsistencies, Iran had put its faith in his declarations; why else would it have hesitated in launching a pre-emptive strike against Israel instead of being itself on the receiving end, thus risking a weaker position by remaining on the defensive? Now Iran has launched its missiles on Tel Aviv, understandably causing much damage, loss and injuries. But the repercussions of Israeli attacks and Iranian retaliatory strikes can go far beyond that. As the Israeli attack on Iran persists and so does Iranian retaliation, we fear that the scene opens for yet more international players to enter the conflict in support of any of the two parties. The calamity would be if Iran or Israel finds itself on the losing side; would they resort to a nuclear strike that would devastate the entire region and leave no victor? Watani International 20 June 2025 Comments comments Tags: Israel and IranProblems on holdWataniYoussef Sidhom
