Whistleblower: Critical Infrastructure Exposed to Foreign Actors

A government whistleblower has come forward with alarming claims that critical U.S. infrastructure databases have been exposed to the open internet, potentially granting foreign entities unprecedented access to sensitive systems. Daniel Bertulis, a National Labor Relations Board employee, shared his concerns during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, where he and his attorney outlined what they described as systemic security failures affecting multiple government agencies, according to Mediaite.

“Right now the real concern is that this not unlike Chernobyl,” said Andrew Bakaj, Bertulis’s attorney, making a stark comparison to the Soviet nuclear disaster. “And all of the control panels lighting up after the meltdown. This is serious and I just wanna commend Dan for coming forward to bring this to everybody’s attention because this really is the tip of the iceberg.”

The allegations emerge as Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly praised Elon Musk, who serves as a key DOGE advisor to President Donald Trump. Putin compared Musk to Sergei Korolev, the chief engineer behind the Soviet Union’s space program, describing him as “absolutely crazy about Mars” and part of a rare class of visionaries, according to Yahoo News.

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Pattern of Suspicious Access Attempts Detected

According to Bertulis’s testimony, he uncovered evidence that approximately ten gigabytes of sensitive government data were compromised following DOGE’s interaction with NLRB systems. His attorney described this amount as equivalent to “a full stack of encyclopedias” if printed as physical documents.

The most disturbing allegations involve a pattern of suspicious login attempts allegedly originating from Russia. Bakaj claimed that “within 15 minutes of DOGE employees creating user accounts, i.e. usernames and passwords, within 15 minutes of those accounts being created, somebody or something from Russia tried to log in with the right username and right passwords.” This pattern reportedly occurred more than 20 times.

These claims contradict White House statements about the transparency and security of DOGE operations, with Bertulis specifically noting that none of the code used by DOGE technicians has been made publicly available for independent review or security analysis.

NEW: Whistle Blower: Russian Breach of US Data Through DOGE Was Carried Out Over Starlink "Directly to Russia" pic.twitter.com/vi9Aw3Bd4d
— Zev Shalev (@ZevShalev) April 16, 2025

Nuclear Regulatory Material Potentially Compromised

In one of the most concerning aspects of the whistleblower’s disclosure, Bakaj alleged that critical databases at numerous government agencies, including the Department of Energy and nuclear regulatory agencies, have been exposed to the open internet through the security failures.

“Critical infrastructure databases and many government agencies, as we understand it, have been exposed to the open internet, which includes critical databases at the Department of Energy, which includes a lot of our nuclear regulatory agency material,” Bakaj stated during the CNN interview.

Cybersecurity experts have expressed alarm at these claims, noting that exposure of nuclear regulatory information could potentially compromise both operational safety and national security. Former Department of Homeland Security advisor Rebecca Monahan described the allegations as “representing a worst-case scenario for critical infrastructure protection” if verified.

Starlink Connection Raises Additional Concerns

The whistleblower’s attorney made additional allegations connecting DOGE to potential data exfiltration via Musk’s Starlink satellite network. “DOGE has also been using Starlink as a means to exfiltrate data,” Bakaj claimed. “What that means is that, from our understanding, Russia has a direct pipeline of information through Starlink, which means that anything going through Starlink is going to Russia.”

These allegations take on added significance given Putin’s recent praise of Musk and growing concerns about potential conflicts of interest in Musk’s dual roles as a presidential advisor and the head of companies involved in government contracts and critical infrastructure.

Congressional Investigation Likely

The serious nature of these allegations will likely trigger congressional investigations and heightened scrutiny of the relationship between DOGE and government agencies. Security experts have called for immediate verification of the claims and implementation of enhanced protective measures if confirmed.

“These allegations, if substantiated, represent one of the most serious breaches of government cybersecurity protocols in recent history,” said former NSA cybersecurity director Thomas Reynolds. “The scope and scale described would affect virtually every aspect of government operations and critical infrastructure protection.”

For now, the whistleblower’s claims remain allegations that require independent verification. However, the specific nature of the claims, including precise timelines and detailed descriptions of the alleged intrusion methods, has raised serious concerns within the cybersecurity community responsible for protecting government systems.

The White House has not yet issued a comprehensive response to these specific allegations, though earlier statements emphasized transparency and security in DOGE operations – claims that Bertulis directly challenged during his CNN appearance.

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