Communication systems of 17 Air Force facilities face compromise as tech worth $90,000 was stolen

An engineer based in Tennessee reportedly stole government radio technology worth $90,000, leading to a “critical compromise” of communications systems at 17 Air Force facilities, according to a search warrant.

The breach may have also affected the FBI’s communications, as indicated by the warrant accessed by Forbes. The government was alerted to the incident by a contractor who used to work with the Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, Tenn. Subsequently, the engineer’s home was raided.

The 48-year-old engineer, whose identity remains undisclosed, has not been charged with any crime by the police at this time. However, the engineer allegedly had unauthorized administrator access to radio communications technology used by the Air Education and Training Command (ATEC), impacting 17 Department of Defense installations.

ATEC, one of the nine “major commands” under the Pentagon, provides support to Air Force headquarters through interrelated and complementary functions. This incident occurred just three months after another security breach was reported at the Pentagon.

In that previous breach, Air National Guard employee Jack Teixeira allegedly leaked sensitive information related to the Russia-Ukraine war on the social platform Discord. Teixeira pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the raid at the Air Force engineer’s home, authorities found an open computer screen displaying radio programming software that contained the entire Arnold Air Force Base communications system, as reported by Forbes.

Investigators also discovered evidence of the engineer having access to FBI and Tennessee state agencies, although specific details about the compromised information were not disclosed.

The warrant revealed that the engineer possessed a USB containing administrative passwords and electronic system keys for the AETC radio network.

Among the items seized were flash drives containing local law enforcement radio programming files and Motorola radio programming files, both marked as government property.

Installer files recovered from the search opened with a “CONFIDENTIAL RESTRICTED” pop-up, indicating their sensitive nature.

Witnesses and co-workers informed investigators that the engineer allegedly sold radios and radio equipment, worked irregular hours, displayed arrogant behavior, frequently lied, engaged in inappropriate workplace conduct, and faced financial problems. The engineer was also said to possess Arnold Air Force Base land mobile radio equipment.