The Pentagon has bought $33m of Chinese technology containing known cybersecurity problems, despite warnings that it could be used for espionage. The department bought more than 9,500 pieces of equipment from Lexmark and Lenovo in 2018 and an internal Inspector General (IG) report has said there are still no policies in place to stop it happening again. The IG said the Pentagon’s supply chain had many weaknesses and that crucial national security missions could be compromised if the Pentagon continues to buy technology without checking the potential vulnerabilities. A spokesman for Lockheed Martin told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday afternoon that “any suggestion that we have ever provided sensitive information or systems is false”.
The Pentagon has bought $33m of Chinese technology containing known cybersecurity problems, despite warnings that it could be used for espionage. The department bought more than 9,500 pieces of equipment from Lexmark and Lenovo in 2018 and an internal Inspector General (IG) report has said there are still no policies in place to stop it happening again. The IG said the Pentagon’s supply chain had many weaknesses and that crucial national security missions could be compromised if the Pentagon continues to buy technology without checking the potential vulnerabilities. It said a clear process for banning risky technology should be created.