The Pentagon is investigating a significant data exposure incident involving Dialog, an exclusive events group co-founded by Peter Thiel, which compromised personal information of several US national security personnel, including officials linked to the National Security Council and sensitive military operations.
The exposed data, which included private details and login tokens for 222 Dialog event registrants, featured sensitive information that foreign intelligence services actively seek. Such information can be used to identify, surveil, and approach US operatives both domestically and internationally, posing operational risks to active-duty officers and the units they support.
While the White House declined to name the specific NSC official involved for national security reasons, evidence suggests the breach occurred due to a misconfigured website, not a sophisticated cyberattack as Dialog initially characterized it. This allowed unauthorized access to files simply by logging into the group's app. The discovery was first reported by cybersecurity researcher maia arson crimew, who has faced federal hacking-related charges previously.
The compromised information for the NSC official, a former CIA officer, included personal details, survey responses, date of birth, home address, mobile number, a headshot, and their political leanings. Similarly, a military intelligence officer embedded with a "Tier 1" special operations unit had their personal data exposed, including details of their nomination to Dialog by another military officer.
Dialog's legal counsel has demanded the data be turned over, but WIRED declined. The Pentagon confirmed its operations security team is actively examining the matter. National security lawyers note that while certain intelligence personnel have legal protections, it's unclear if the exposed officer qualifies for the narrow definition of a "covert agent" under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.
The incident highlights a broader pattern, with records indicating over 20 current and former military and intelligence officials had their data exposed. Some files also included information on spouses and family members listed as emergency contacts. The exposed survey responses from Dialog registrants revealed a range of personal predictions and disclosures, from warnings about domestic terrorism targeting AI datacenters to predictions of political violence due to AI job displacement.
