DOGE Gains Sweeping Access to Federal Payroll System Despite IT Security Warnings

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has secured entry to "a payroll system that processes salaries for about 276,000 federal employees across dozens of agencies," according to reporting by The New York Times, despite "objections from senior IT staff who feared it could compromise highly sensitive government personnel information" and potentially invite cyberattacks. The Interior Department's payroll infrastructure grants DOGE "visibility into sensitive employee information, such as Social Security numbers, and the ability to more easily hire and fire workers," the Times reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation. After roughly two weeks of pursuit, DOGE personnel achieved access over the weekend.

The standoff intensified on Saturday when DOGE workers obtained the access and subsequently placed two resisting IT officials on administrative leave while launching investigations into them, according to the Times. The agency's chief information officer and chief information security officer face scrutiny over their "workplace behavior." When asked for comment, the Interior Department responded: "We are working to execute the President's directive to cut costs and make the government more efficient for the American people and have taken actions to implement President Trump's Executive Orders."

DOGE's expanding reach across federal systems persists even as courts have issued rulings requiring the government to restrict DOGE's access to specific data repositories, including those maintained by the Social Security Administration, Treasury Department, Department of Education, and Office of Personnel Management. At Interior, the access permits "at least two DOGE employees, Stephanie Holmes and Katrine Trampe… to make changes to employment status, compensation level, health benefits and more—with no additional oversight or approval required," according to the Times.

Memo warned against DOGE access

The Times obtained an internal memo from senior career staff opposing DOGE's system access. "Such elevated access to critical high-value asset systems is rare with respect to individual systems and no single DoI official presently has access to all HR, payroll and credentialing systems," the document stated. The memo "also warned that individuals with the elevated access to the system could become prime targets for cybersecurity attacks by terrorists, nations or other malicious actors," the Times reported. According to the memo, such access "typically requires training and certification… Without formal qualifications, the Department may experience significant failure because of operator error."

Musk outlined DOGE's broader mission during a recent Fox News appearance, saying the organization is focused on "reconciling all the government databases to eliminate the waste and fraud. These databases don't talk to each other… it's frankly painful homework, but it has to be done and it will greatly improve the efficiency of government systems."

A federal appeals court last week determined that Musk and DOGE are not obligated to disclose materials concerning their government efficiency initiatives, overturning an earlier district court decision. The lawsuit, brought by 14 states, contended that "President Trump has delegated virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities."

Source: Ars Technica