DOGE employee leaks private xAI API key from sensitive database

Date:
Wed, 16 Jul 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Description:
The staffer had access to millions of Americans personal data.

FULL STORY

A staffer with access to the personal data of millions of Americans has apparently leaked the API Key to at least four dozen LLMs developed by artificial intelligence company xAI, including Xs (formerly Twitter) own chatbot Grok.

Security expert Brian Krebs revealed Marko Elez, an employee at Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency, had access to sensitive databases at the US Social Security Administration, Justice, and Treasury departments as part
of DOGEs work in 'streamlining' the departments to increase efficiency.

Ironically, researchers recently uncovered that a DOGE workers credentials
were exposed by infostealing malware , so DOGEs security record so far is
less than impressive.

A code script was committed to GitHub named agent.py that included a private application programming interface (API) key for xAI by Elez. This was first flagged by GitGuardian, a firm which scans GitHub for API secret tokens, database credentials, and certificates - and alerts affected users.

The exposed API key allowed access to at least 52 different LLMs used by xAI, with the most recent being an LLM called grok 4-0709, created on July 9, 2025
- according to Chief Hacking Officer at security consultancy Seralys,
Philippe Caturegli.

Caturegli warned KrebsOnSecurity, If a developer cant keep an API key
private, it raises questions about how theyre handling far more sensitive government information behind closed doors.

The code repository that contains the private API key has since been removed after Elez was notified by email of the leak, however, the key still works
and has not yet been revoked, so the issue is far from resolved.

This is not the first time internal xAI APIs have been leaked, with LLMs made for Musks other organisations, like SpaceX, Tesla, and Twitter/X exposed earlier in 2025, Krebs confirmed .

One leak is a mistake, Caturegli said, But when the same type of sensitive
key gets exposed again and again, its not just bad luck, its a sign of deeper negligence and a broken security culture.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/doge-employee-with-sensitive-database-a ccess-leaks-private-xai-api-key

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