Pentagon Probes Dialog Data Breach That Exposed US National Security Officials
A data exposure at the private events group Dialog, co-founded by Peter Thiel, revealed personal information of multiple US national security personnel, including an NSC intelligence official and an active-duty intelligence officer supporting special operations.
The Pentagon is investigating a data breach at Dialog, a private events group co-founded by Peter Thiel, which exposed personal information of several US national security officials. Among those affected are an intelligence official on the National Security Council (NSC) and an active-duty intelligence officer embedded with a Tier 1 special operations unit, WIRED has learned.
The exposure resulted from a misconfigured website, not a cyberattack as Dialog internally claimed. Anyone could create an account and access files containing personal details and login tokens of 222 registrants, including current and former senior military and national security officials from the US and allies. The records were accessible for an unknown duration, and it remains unclear who else may have obtained them.
The files include dates of birth, home addresses, mobile numbers, photos, authentication tokens, political leanings, and survey responses. The NSC official’s file also contains a personal prediction about future espionage targeting behavior rather than secrets, a book recommendation, and private biographical details.
The White House asked WIRED not to name the NSC official on national security grounds. The military intelligence officer’s unit is also being withheld due to operational risks. The Pentagon confirmed its operations security team is examining the matter.
Dialog’s outside counsel demanded WIRED return the data, calling it “stolen,” but WIRED declined. Dialog did not respond to questions.
The breach also exposed records of over 20 other current and former military and intelligence personnel, including a retired US general and a senior security official from Israel and the Palestinian territories. Some files included family emergency contacts.
