Lummis-Wyden Proposal Would Protect Military Comms on Systems Controlled by Microsoft, AT&T & Other Private Companies
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, Demand Progress and 13 groups sent a letter urging the heads of the Senate Armed Services Committee to support a measure protecting the military’s communications technology from cyberattacks. The letter calls on the committee heads to support an amendment (S.Amdt.3186) from Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to the National Defense Authorization Act (S.2296) that would require the Pentagon to use end-to-end encrypted communications technology when available and also would mandate that collaboration technology purchased by the Pentagon include a requirement for interoperability.
“Adopting the Lummis-Wyden amendment is a pressing matter of national security, said Demand Progress Senior Policy Advisor Hajar Hammado. “Hackers working for the Chinese government were able to access the communications of cabinet officials and even Donald Trump and JD Vance by breaching Microsoft-hosted email accounts and the systems of major telephone companies like AT&T and Verizon. Maximizing ways to use end-to-end encryption is a necessary move that would prevent hackers from accessing the Pentagon’s sensitive communications.”
“The lesson from these hacks is that without end-to-end encryption protecting government communications, a single hack of a service provider can enable foreign governments to surveil senior U.S. government officials,” stated the letter. “Implementing stronger standards, including requirements for end-to-end encryption in collaboration systems, would protect U.S. government communications by ensuring that no one other than the sender and each intended recipient can access the decrypted communication.”