CNN
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Before Elon Musk tapped him to join a drastic US government overhaul, Edward Coristine, then 17, was a cybersecurity based in Arizona, where he was an intern. It was the subject of a fierce dispute between two executives of the company.
The question was whether Coristine would allow him to continue his work despite suspecting that he was leaking his own information to his competitors.
“Are you willing to put our entire network at risk to a 17-year-old?” the frustrated executive asked the company’s CEO in 2022. “Are you really right now?”
In a recording of the call reviewed by CNN, Marshal Webb, Marshal Webb, CEO of Path Network, a company that provides services to protect businesses from cyberattacks, defended the decision.
He said he wanted to allow Coristine to continue his internship. Because he didn’t want him to be an “enemy” or “run amok” him with information he suspected of taking. Webb allowed younger employees to remain on the condition that they are “not exposed to anything truly sensitive.”
That was the case.
Today, the 19-year-old, once known for his online moniker “Big Ball,” is part of a mask’s controversial effort to remake the federal government. He is a “senior advisor” with access to a variety of departments, including Homeland Security, FEMA, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Details of Coristine’s role with the government are not clear. However, his younger age and lack of relative experience raised concerns about his overall suitability for such a potentially sensitive job.
Some government experts have questioned whether the government efficiency of Musk (where Coristine works) is properly following all rules to protect US government data.
“The federal government has more data on American citizens than most other agencies, so if you just remove the guardrail that protects that data, it’s not what actors will have access to it,” Professor Nick said. Bednar said. At Minnesota Law School, which specializes in the administrative department. “That data is extremely valuable to know where people invest their money, to know their Social Security numbers, and bank account information.”
DHS and CISA mentioned CNN’s request for comments to DOGE but did not respond.
According to Bloomberg, Coristine did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, but posted to Discord at the end of the matter saying that he “was not wrong on a contract” while working for a cybersecurity company.
Path Network, which previously confirmed that Coristine had previously leaked company information and ended the internship, declined to comment Friday.
Path Network’s operations director Kyan Gomes said he hadn’t spoken on behalf of the company, but initially opposed to maintaining Coristine after discovering that information was allegedly leaked. later said he agreed to the company’s decision.
“After an apology and a somewhat gging nature, Edward has been reverted to a level of sympathy and protection as a company,” Gomez said in a statement to CNN. “If he was temporarily placed by our side, we would be able to figure out exactly what he had leaked without him accessing more sensitive data…we Once you reach the conclusion that you have received all the information you need, the pass is finished.
Last month, Musk’s Doge crew members had immediate access to some of the country’s most sensitive data as part of their efforts to reduce federal spending. Over the past few weeks, Musk’s peers have appeared in many government agencies, including the Veterans Affairs and the Department of Energy, seeking access to social security information, the IRS systems and financial data.
Operating without council oversight, Doge has employees’ names and identities made public through wired and other outlet reports, but it is not clear who will adopt them. Some federal workers said Doge Associates has refused to identify themselves in meetings with federal employees.
A Democrat told the White House earlier this month, seeking information about Doge staff: It monitors staff and representatives before providing free access to classified materials and American personal information. ”
Gomes, a former colleague of Coristine at Path Network, said he doesn’t believe Coristine will have access to sensitive government information. “I don’t know exactly what he has access to, but the whole Doge has access to very sensitive information,” he said.
Coristine’s actions on the Path Network were detailed in a screenshot of Discord Chatrooms, secretly documenting company meetings uploaded to public websites by disgruntled employees.
Recordings and screenshots revealed a slightly loud and undisciplined culture on the Path Network.
At one recorded meeting just before Coristine began his internship, for example, drunk employees repeatedly threatened to fight a colleague. Encouraged by colleagues, staff members have cracked white nails, boasting their shaving every day, showing off Prada Cologne, drilling holes in the wall and later wearing webcams for a hundred dollar bills scattered across the floor. I’ll show you the book.
He then offered an improvised self-assessment:
“All I can say is that I am the king’s god,” the employee can be heard saying on the phone. “I’m Af*King Alpha.”
These records show that employees are discussing Coristine’s actions, and he is said to be leaking information to his competitors.
“Edward was fired for leaking inside information to a competitor. This is unacceptable and there is zero tolerance to this,” the executive wrote in a team chat.
“Penalties on a spouse with the enemy,” Path CEO said.
Less than two months later, Coristine himself posted under his username Rivage, boasting in an online chat room that he had maintained access to the Path Network system after he had finished.
“For the next few months since it was finished, all of the game hosting machines were accessible. Coristine posted on the Discord Channel.
When the cybersecurity company hired a Coristine alternative in the summer of 2022, the CEO instructed his staff to welcome him with the following message:
“I hope it won’t be liquidated like my predecessor.”
CNN’s Scott Glover, Curt Devine and Audrey Ash contributed to this report.
