Overview
- The Department of Defense inspector general reported that officials did not verify whether wireless carriers were adequately protecting data, renewed Spiral 4 contracts without properly reviewing carriers’ security assessments, and left three formal recommendations unresolved.
- Spiral 4 covers more than 568,000 military wireless lines and is worth about $2.67 billion, making carrier security practices a large-scale operational concern for service members and commanders.
- Investigators warned that attackers who exploit the documented weaknesses could map DoD communications, identify sensitive locations such as safe houses or command posts, and expose operational vulnerabilities, although the audit found no evidence that military accounts have been compromised.
- The Pentagon revised contracts in May to require independent carrier security testing, but the IG found no effective process to review those test results before extending deals and a Pentagon response said the under secretary for intelligence and security should oversee protections.
- The finding adds to long‑running concern from Congress after the Salt Typhoon intrusions and follows earlier phone‑security scrutiny such as the Signalgate review, and it increases the likelihood of tighter oversight and demands that the DoD implement the IG’s fixes.