How Elon Musk searches for leaks: Lawsuits, mole hunts and secret codes

Elon Musk has once again directed his ire at individuals leaking sensitive information regarding his substantial influence within the Trump administration. His approach to handling leaks at his various companies might be a precursor to how he intends to address similar issues within the federal government.

“I eagerly anticipate the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon responsible for leaking maliciously false information to the New York Times,” Musk tweeted shortly after The New York Times reported that Pentagon officials were poised to brief a senior adviser to President Donald Trump about escalating tensions with China, including military planning. “They will be found.” (POLITICO has indicated that the briefing will center on the threats posed by China but will not delve into any classified war strategies; the initial intentions remain unclear.)

This statement, shared on his social media platform X, reflects Musk’s strategy of publicly admonishing and seeking punitive actions against leakers, a tactic he employs to mitigate internal dissent at his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X.

Such incidents suggest Musk’s potential modus operandi when confronting leakers within the government.

Musk’s Pursuit of Leakers

Dealing with leaks can be a formidable challenge, particularly when the identity of the leaker remains elusive.

After acquiring Twitter, the platform’s source code was leaked online and subsequently posted on GitHub, a site where developers share code. At that time, the identity of the leaker was unknown.

In March 2023, Twitter issued a copyright infringement notice against GitHub, resulting in the removal of the leaked information. However, Twitter struggled to pinpoint the individual responsible and sought legal avenues to subpoena information on the poster and all users who interacted with the leaked source code.

Months later, Twitter’s leadership, including CEO Linda Yaccarino, declared a campaign against leaks, urging employees to assist in identifying any malefactors. An internal email read, “If you suspect any employee is not safeguarding Twitter’s confidential information, please report it by submitting a ticket.” The email further offered resources for team training on protecting sensitive information.

The Art of Subterfuge

When Musk aims to uncover a leaker, he may employ a “canary trap.”

In 2022, Musk revealed on X how he ensnared a Tesla employee who had leaked proprietary company information over a decade prior. The company dispatched “seemingly identical emails to all employees, but each contained unique spacing between sentences.”

These emails, which Musk claimed as his innovation, effectively created a unique identifier for each recipient, allowing the company to trace the source if the messages were leaked to the media.

Utilizing metadata and unique identifiers to track leaks isn’t a novel concept. Back in 2017, the federal government indicated that it determined the source of documents leaked to The Intercept by observing their physical characteristics, while printed materials often carry distinct identifiers.

Despite these precautions, resourceful individuals have discovered methods to bypass such traps, including taking photos of internal communications with alternative devices or utilizing encrypted messaging platforms like Signal for discussions with journalists.

Legal Ramifications

When a former Tesla employee allegedly pilfered confidential information, amalgamated it with fabrications, and leaked it to the press, the company promptly filed a lawsuit in 2018. Tesla claimed that internal investigations had already identified the hacker, who confessed to writing software that transferred vast amounts of data externally.

However, Musk has come to realize that the mere threat of litigation can be a potent deterrent against disgruntled employees.

In 2019, Tesla warned its workforce that any leaks could lead to lawsuits against them, having already pursued legal action against employees accused of sharing sensitive information with competitors, as reported by CNBC.

Furthermore, in December 2022, following the Twitter source code leak, the company communicated internally that “if you clearly and deliberately violate the NDA you signed upon joining, you accept liability to the full extent of the law & Twitter will immediately seek damages,” as revealed by tech journalist Zoe Schiffer.

In recent years, employees at Musk’s companies have generally remained tight-lipped, particularly after he brought in personnel loyal to both the company’s mission and his leadership. It appears likely that this same strategy might soon be employed within the federal government, especially following the Trump administration’s infusion of agencies with Musk’s supporters.