A federal watchdog agency is warning that a pair of mapping applications used for combat, are making U.S. troops vulnerable to cyberattacks, The Washington Free Beacon is reporting.
The warning comes from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an internal investigative agency that operates independently from other government offices.
The apps are used by the military to help in precision targeting and allow data-sharing between ground forces and overhead aircraft, according to the Free Beacon.
In a report to President Donald Trump and Congress, investigators noted Navy leaders failed to protect sensitive from being hacked. It said the two mapping software apps, known as KILSWITCH and APASS, put troops at risk of cyberattacks by China, Russia and others. The report said the apps have “significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities that have not been effectively mitigated.”
"When Navy leadership was made aware of software vulnerabilities, it failed to take sufficient action to warn U.S. military personnel or to safeguard sensitive data," Special Counsel Henry Kerner said.
“Thanks to a brave whistleblower who spoke up, the Navy is now taking the cyber threat posed by these apps seriously and ensuring security measures are in place."
"The investigation also found that Navy software developers provided inaccurate, incomplete and misleading information to operational units in advocating for the distribution and adoption of this insecure software," the OSC said in its report.
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