Musk advisor linked to cybercriminal group sparks security concerns

• Who is Edward Coristine? He is a member of the Government Efficiency Department (DOGE) created by Elon Musk, who previously provided technical services to the cybercriminal group EGodly.
• EGodly boasted about stealing data, including phone numbers and cryptocurrencies, and hacking into email accounts of justice authorities.
• Former Deputy Director of CISA, Nitin Natarajan, expressed concern that someone with such a past has access to government networks.

Edward Coristine, known by the pseudonym "Big Balls," is a member of the DOGE technical team who has extensive access to government networks. In 2022, while still a student, he ran a company called DiamondCDN that provided network services. Among his clients was the website of the group EGodly, which boasted about data theft and hacking into email accounts.

The EGodly group, active on Telegram, bragged about seizing phone numbers and stealing cryptocurrencies. They also disseminated private data of an FBI agent who was conducting an investigation against them. Reuters was unable to verify the truth of these boasts, but an FBI agent confirmed that the group was suspected of making false reports. "These are bad folks," said the agent, whose name was withheld to avoid further harassment, "They're not a pleasant group."

Edward Coristine, now a 19-year-old "senior advisor" to the State Department and CISA, did not respond to requests for comment. His past raises concerns, especially since he now has extensive access to government networks. Nitin Natarajan, the former Deputy Director of CISA, emphasised that even passing ties to EGodly are troubling. The State Department and CISA did not comment on the matter.