A whistleblower at the National Labor Relations Board has alleged that officials from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency improperly accessed and extracted sensitive labor data from the agency’s internal systems, according to a report from NPR.
Daniel Berulis, an IT staffer at the labor agency, reported observing unusual data extraction patterns after DOGE employees gained access to NLRB systems. Berulis claimed DOGE staff requested the highest level of access privileges that would enable them to read, copy, and modify agency data.
The whistleblower report indicated that critical security protocols were disabled during this period, including controls preventing unauthorized mobile devices from accessing NLRB systems. Parts of the system were allegedly exposed to the public internet while internal alerts and monitoring systems were deactivated.
According to Berulis, suspicious login attempts from a Russia-based IP address occurred shortly after DOGE gained system access, using correct credentials associated with a new DOGE account. Former White House cybersecurity official Jake Braun told NPR such activity could suggest a potential nation-state attack.
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After raising concerns internally, Berulis reportedly received what he described as a “threatening note” containing personal information and drone-captured photographs of him.
NLRB officials have issued contradictory statements about the alleged incident. General Counsel William Cowen initially stated the agency had “no official contact with any DOGE personnel,” but NLRB Chairman Marvin E. Kaplan later indicated the agency would comply with DOGE’s information requests.
The controversy escalated after DOGE representatives visited NLRB headquarters on Wednesday for a two-hour meeting. Agency workers were subsequently informed that two DOGE staffers would join the agency part-time.
The NLRB maintains sensitive information about unions, workplace complaints and corporate legal disputes that labor law experts say contains highly confidential material that rarely leaves the agency.
The agency’s press secretary, Tim Bearese, has denied that any such breach occurred and claimed that DOGE neither asked for nor was granted access to NLRB systems.
Musk, who has previously clashed with the labor board over anti-union practices at his companies, has not commented directly on the allegations. SpaceX sued the labor board last year, claiming it was unconstitutional.
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