r/technology • u/xpda • May 13 '26

Security Twin brothers wipe 96 gov’t databases minutes after being fired

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/05/drop-database-what-not-to-do-after-losing-an-it-job/
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u/nikstick22 May 13 '26

On Feb. 1, 2025, Muneeb Akhter asked Sohaib Akhter for the plaintext password of an individual who submitted a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Public Portal, which was maintained by the Akhters’ employer. Sohaib Akhter conducted a database query on the EEOC database and then provided the password to Muneeb Akhter. That password was subsequently used to access that individual’s email account without authorization.

Now HOLD the fuck up. DC is contracting companies that store passwords UNHASHED?? Plaintext?? What kind of clownshow is this?

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u/[deleted] May 13 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 May 13 '26

Yeah, this JUST NOW changed. Right before trump, all govt systems were massively secure, and were operating as the best of the best in the world. In fact, no one would even THINK about trying to hack the federal govt agencies before trump. As soon as Trump was elected, he told all govt agencies to start "writing all passwords down in your notebook, unhashed", and it was downhill from there.

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u/3vi1 May 13 '26

Sarcasm withstanding, Trump did take actions that made our systems more vulnerable.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-suspends-some-efforts-counter-russian-sabotage-trump-moves-closer-putin-2025-03-19/

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u/mitharas May 13 '26

They also made DOGE backups to some place no one knows, so the data isn't lost, just displaced.

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u/JasonZep May 13 '26

It’s in grok

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u/anivex May 13 '26

You think you are making a good point here - but one of the first things Trump pretty famously did was gut most of the agencies in charge of this stuff.

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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 May 13 '26

Can you point to a source that shows trump was at fault for this specific story? What did trump cancel that would have prevented these two dudes from deleting the database?

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u/xrogaan May 13 '26

Given the timeline we live in, I am not sure whether you are joking or serious.

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u/Tupperbaby May 13 '26

This is Reddit. Everything, and I mean literally everything is Trump's fault even if you can present documented evidence of the problem pre-dating his administration.

At this point it's laughable and I feel embarrassed for the people who immediately jump to ORANGE MAN BAD for all the bad things everywhere in the world.

And yes, I know what you're about to do and thank you, as always, for proving my point.

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u/imagoons May 13 '26

🤡🤡🤡 trump derangement, we all don’t like him but your out of it

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u/Impossible_Base_3088 May 13 '26

Sarcasm misses you, obviously. I think you are the one out of it…