“Millions” of sensitive US military emails were reportedly sent to Mali due to a typo

The Verge reports that millions of emails associated with the US military have been mistakenly sent to Mali due to a typo for over a decade. Instead of using the military’s .MIL domain, people frequently type .ML, the country identifier for Mali. Johannes Zuurbier, a Dutch entrepreneur managing Mali’s domain, has intercepted 117,000 misdirected emails since January, many containing sensitive US military information.

Despite his repeated warnings to the US government, the issue persists. Once Zuurbier’s contract with Mali ends, authorities in Mali, a West African country allied with Russia, will gain access to the emails. The Department of Defense is aware of the issue and has implemented measures to block such emails and notify the sender.