Gizmodo and Propublica employed a team of cyber-security experts to infiltrate the computer network at Mar-a-Lago, the Trump-owned golf resort that the President refers to as the "Southern White House."
The tech team discovered such low security standards that they speculate vital intelligence was almost certainly compromised during the President's visits.
Photo: Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post
The resort has been the focal point of much controversy with regard to possible breaches of classified military information even before the recent expose.
Members of the public and government officials were alarmed, for example, when the President and his advisers openly discussed a North Korean missile launch - classified information from U.S.intelligence sources - in the Mar-a-Lago dining room.
The penetration-testers found several unsecured wireless networks; routers that had been misconfigured; several unsecured, open printers; and an unsecured website.The site's security lapses actually left a database of club members, their families, and sensitive information open to anyone who cared to snoop a bit.
The president has conducted sensitive meetings at Mar-a-Lago and spent a great deal time at the resort since taking office, especially on weekends.President Trump has invited diplomats and heads of state to the resort as well.
The team found similar unsecured networks and security lapses at several other Trump properties where he has handled secret government business.They penetrated wi-fi networks and encountered internal networks that were secured by little more than a 13-year-old software tool.
Most U.S.presidents choose Camp David when they need to escape the White House.That is its purpose, and the government secures that property, spending $64 million on technology maintenance every year.
Trump opts for his own businesses instead, sites where it is highly probable, according to the penetration team hired by Gizmodo and Propublica, that sensitive information has already been compromised due to a lack of basic security precautions.