Thread by @MalwareJake

People keep downplaying the risk of a classified or sensitive disclosure because of the shutdown. I keep hearing that DoD is funded and accounts for the vast majority of clearance holders. Okay, it's not as bad as it could be. But it's worst than many realize. 1/n

The people I worry most about are admin assistants and the like. They regularly have access to everything their departments do. Most are below the "mission essential" line. They're also some of the lowest paid staffers in a department. 2/n

Low pay means they're likely most vulnerable to missing a paycheck. Most are less emotionally invested in the mission than the people they support. Finally, they often don't understand the full context of the information they have access to. This makes for a perfect storm. 3/n

Your creditors aren't working with you because of the shutdown. You're getting hit with late fee after late fee. A Huawei salesperson offers you, an FCC executive admin, for talking points on the 5G network build out. Sure the info is marked CONFIDENTIAL, but should it be? 4/n

Some of you are already screaming because you understand this is:
1. Just the tip of the iceberg for what they'll have to give up later
2. The information while less sensitive on its own will be aggregated with other sensitive/classified data
5/n

If you're thinking this isn't playing out right now, you're 100% wrong. When we consider people who aren't dealing with classified, the problem is horribly exacerbated. This shutdown, more than any in my memory, is a counterintelligence nightmare. 6/n

The reason this one stands out to me more than those that impacted DoD is:
1. The country is more divided than ever, and a huge number of people feel the reason for the shutdown is prima facie immoral
2. People are missing paychecks and there's no specific end in sight 7/n

3. Usually in these cases, DoD is involved and everyone understands they are a priority target. They also do counterintelligence better than anyone else

As much as I don't want to think someone would sell out their country for money, I acknowledge that it's a probability. 8/n

And be honest: if it's a question of your kid eating tonight or violating an oath to a country that has turned its back on paying you for your work, what would you do?

This isn't a wild hypothetical. It's a reality for an unknown number of cleared government workers tonight. 9/9