Renee Dudley
reneedudley.bsky.social
Renee Dudley
@reneedudley.bsky.social
Reporter at ProPublica. Co-author of "The Ransomware Hunting Team" (published 2022 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Reposted by Renee Dudley
NEW: The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive government data vulnerable to hacking.

By @reneedudley.bsky.social
Pentagon Bans Tech Vendors From Using China-Based Personnel After ProPublica Investigation
The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive...
www.propublica.org
September 19, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Renee Dudley
BREAKING: Microsoft failed to disclose key details about its use of China-based engineers in Defense Department IT work, according to security document obtained by @propublica.org: www.propublica.org/article/micr...
Microsoft Failed to Disclose Key Details About Use of China-Based Engineers in U.S. Defense Work, Record Shows
The tech giant is required to regularly provide U.S. officials with its plan for keeping government data safe from hacking. Yet a copy of Microsoft’s security plan obtained by ProPublica makes no refe...
www.propublica.org
August 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Renee Dudley
In addition to its work for the Pentagon, Microsoft has used overseas employees, including China-based personnel, to support the cloud systems of federal departments such as parts of the DOJ, Treasury and Commerce, ProPublica has learned.

By @reneedudley.bsky.social, w/ research by Doris Burke
Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data
Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal…
www.propublica.org
July 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Renee Dudley
Our investigation revealed how a little-known Microsoft program could leave some of the U.S. government’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary.

TL;DR, these are the 9 biggest takeaways ⤵️
July 15, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by Renee Dudley
Musk’s offer of free Starlink for the White House puzzled some former officials.

But it immediately struck ProPublica reporters as the potential Trump-era iteration of a tried-and-true business maneuver they’d spent months reporting on last year.

By @reneedudley.bsky.social
Microsoft Hooked the Government on Its Products With Freebies. Could Elon Musk’s Starlink Be Doing the Same?
The tech billionaire and Trump adviser “donated” Starlink service to the White House. The move resembles a previous maneuver by Microsoft, which used “free” trials to lock in costly upgrades across…
propub.li
April 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM