Sun Feb 23 10:00:00 UTC 2025: ## 19-Year-Old with Hacking Links Granted Access to US Cybersecurity Agency

**Washington, D.C.** – A 19-year-old staffer in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Edward Coristine, has been granted physical access to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), raising significant security concerns. Coristine, who reportedly has a history of interacting with hacking groups and has been linked to cybercrime activities, now has access to facilities containing sensitive U.S. intelligence on global cyber threats.

Multiple reports connect Coristine to online interactions with the cybercrime syndicate “The Com,” using the handle “Rivage.” He was also fired from Path Networks for leaking internal information to a competitor. Further reports reveal he solicited a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in 2022 via Telegram.

Coristine’s access to CISA comes amidst recent upheaval within the agency, including the layoff of approximately 130 employees and the pausing of election security activities and disinformation countermeasures. While CISA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have not yet commented, the situation has sparked alarm among cybersecurity experts. The extent of Coristine’s access to CISA systems remains unclear. The decision to grant him access, especially given his background, is currently under scrutiny.

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