'Millions' of sensitive US military emails mistakenly sent to Mali

The US military has been accidentally sending millions of emails, some containing sensitive information, to Mali, due to a recurring typo in the domain address over the past decade. Soon, the authority intercepting these emails will lose access, posing potential security risks.

Typographical Error: The issue arises from a simple typing mistake.

Instead of the US military's .MIL domain, people often type .ML, which is Mali's country identifier.

This has been ongoing for over a decade.

The Interceptor: Johannes Zuurbier, a Dutch entrepreneur, has been managing the situation.

He was contracted to manage Mali's domain and noticed the misdirected emails.

Zuurbier created a system to intercept these emails but it was quickly overwhelmed.

He has intercepted 117,000 emails this year alone, many containing sensitive US military information.

Content of Misdirected Emails: The intercepted emails contain a variety of sensitive and potentially damaging information.

Emails contain medical records, identification details, staff lists, photos of military bases, naval reports, and tax records, among other things.

Some of these emails were sent by military staff, travel agents working with the military, US intelligence, and private contractors.

Contract Termination and Potential Risk: There is an impending risk due to the end of Zuurbier's contract.

Zuurbier's contract with Mali ends soon, after which Malian authorities will have access to the misdirected emails.

Considering Russia's recent establishment in Mali, this could present a potential security concern for the US military.

Response from the Department of Defense: The Department of Defense (DoD) is aware and is taking measures.

The DoD acknowledges the issue and states that emails from a .mil domain to Mali are now blocked, notifying the sender to validate the recipient's email address.

They admit this doesn't prevent other government agencies or contractors from making the same mistake.

Despite this, the DoD is continuing to provide direction and training to its personnel.