SCIENCE

US military secrets at risk due to typo

By Athik Saleh

1

Military info to Mali

A one-letter typo has led to US military emails being sent to Mali, as people mistakenly use Mali's .MIL domain instead of the US military's .ML domain.

2

Decade of misrouted emails

Johannes Zuurbier, a Dutch contractor in charge of Mali's .ML domain, identified the 'typo leak.' The issue has been going on for a decade. 

3

Data leak

Decade-long email leak exposes US military data, such as medical records, identity documents, maps, photos of bases, and internal investigations.

4

Government alerted

Zuurbeir alerted the US government about the 'typo leak,' but they failed to act. He collected 117,000 emails since January.

5

Mali-Russia ties strengthen

With Zuurbier's contract nearing its end, Mali will have access to leaked US military emails. Mali is close to Russia. 

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