The UK Ministry of Defence has initiated an inquiry after it mistakenly emailed classified data to Mali, a close Russian ally, due to a typographical error. The emails, meant for the U.S. military, ended up being sent to Mali because of a missed letter in the domain name.
Key Points:
- The classified information was intended for the U.S. military, with the domain name “.mil”, but due to a typing error, the emails were sent to the West African nation of Mali.
- The Ministry of Defence stated that fewer than 20 emails were sent to an incorrect domain and were not classified at a “secret or above” level.
- Despite this incident, the MoD claims there was no breach of operational security or disclosure of technical data, describing the emails as routine.
- This mishap follows a similar occurrence earlier this month when millions of U.S. military emails were sent to Mali due to the same typing error. Some of these emails reportedly contained sensitive data including passwords, medical records, and top officers’ itineraries.
- Mali has a close association with Russia, with Moscow’s Wagner mercenaries currently deployed in the country to aid in the fight against jihadists. This incident comes amid increased scrutiny due to Russia’s recent actions in Ukraine.
