Unveiling the Alleged Connection: DOGE Staffer Linked to Cybercrime Support Services
In a shocking revelation, it has been alleged that Edward Coristine, a tech advisor at the US Department of Government Efficiency and a former DOGE senior advisor, was involved in providing services to a cybercriminal group through a company he ran. Reports suggest that Coristine, while still in high school, operated DiamondCDN, which allegedly supported a website used by a cybercriminal group known as ‘EGodly.’
The link between DiamondCDN and EGodly was unearthed through digital records maintained by DomainTools and Any.Run, shedding light on the extent of the alleged association. Although it remains uncertain whether Coristine was fully aware of EGodly’s illicit activities, a message from the group on Telegram in early 2023 expressed gratitude to DiamondCDN for providing DDoS protection and caching systems to maintain their website, dataleak.fun.
According to records scrutinized by Reuters, this support persisted from October 2022 to June 2023, with users having to pass a DiamondCDN anti-bot security check before accessing the dataleak.fun site. EGodly’s reported criminal activities include cryptocurrency theft, phone number hijacking, unauthorized access to law enforcement email accounts, doxxing an FBI agent, and engaging in swatting incidents.
This recent revelation is not the first time questions have been raised about Coristine’s past. Previous reports indicated his dismissal from cybersecurity company Path Network in 2022 for alleged information leaks and his alleged connection to a cybercriminal social network named ‘The Com.’ Despite these allegations, Coristine has not publicly addressed any of the claims against him.
The implications of these allegations are magnified by Coristine’s current position at DOGE, where he has access to highly sensitive government servers requiring top-level security clearance. Cybersecurity experts emphasize the importance of thorough background checks for all job candidates, underlining the significance of assessing past actions to gauge an individual’s integrity, ethics, and suitability for a role.
As this story unfolds, it serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for stringent vetting processes in hiring practices, particularly in roles with access to confidential information and critical systems. Stay tuned for further developments as the investigation into these alarming allegations continues to unfold.