19-Year-Old with Past ‘The Com’ Ties Gains Access to Sensitive US Government Systems

• A young individual linked to past cybercriminal activities is part of Elon Musk's DOGE.
• Edward Coristine allegedly was a member of the notorious The Com and now has access to U.S. sensitive data.
• A recent investigation raised questions about security clearance processes and the potential risks of insider threats.

Despite his controversial past, an individual was granted access to highly sensitive U.S. government systems via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The 19-year-old Edward Coristine allegedly has previous ties to cybercrime communities.

Failing to address security lapses could open the door to potentially catastrophic breaches, and cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs addressed this issue in a recent report.

A Wired investigation underlined the security oversight within Elon Musk's DOGE. It said Coristine is a former member of cybercriminal platforms collectively known as The Com, which functioned as sprawling networks on Discord and Telegram used to collaborate on illicit activities. 

As recently as 2022, Coristine, under the alias “Rivage,” was active in buying and selling Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) services and other cybercrime operations.

Coristine’s professional history includes a brief tenure at Path Networks, a controversial firm employing several reformed black hat hackers. He was reportedly terminated for leaking internal documents to a competitor. 

Additionally, Coristine is associated with Tesla.Sexy LLC, a company controlling web domains, including Russian-registered ones, a factor Wired noted could complicate security clearance reviews.

Despite leaving The Com, evidence suggests Coristine remains vulnerable to extortion and coercion. Posts linked to Coristine’s alias “Rivage” demonstrate frustration with the cybercriminal ecosystem, but members of The Com have already begun targeting Coristine with harassment and threats to exploit his access. 

This risk underscores how connections to The Com, described as the cybercriminal equivalent of a violent street gang, can linger long after former participants exit.

One chilling aspect of Com culture involves members uncovering personal details of past associates, a practice known as “doxing." This is followed by swatting or hacking for financial gain or revenge.

Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has rapidly expanded its control, gaining unprecedented access to sensitive data from key agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, and Department of Health and Human Resources. 

Leveraging advanced technology platforms, DOGE is uniquely positioned to connect various datasets across government departments, making the infiltration by individuals like Coristine all the more alarming.

Experts warn that DOGE's vast amount of personal and sensitive information places the agency at heightened risk for misuse, especially given gaps in rigorous vetting for insiders granted access to such data.

Meanwhile, several U.S. states, including California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, and New York, plan to file a lawsuit to prevent Musk’s cost-cutters from accessing sensitive federal government payment systems containing citizen data, as per a brief statement shared by 13 Democratic attorneys general.