Enlarge / Ambassador Nikki Haley listens to the United Nations.

The former United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, sent confidential material through a network reserved only for unclassified material because she had forgotten her classified communication password, The Daily Beast reported.

The event took place on July 4 and July 5, 2017, after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit Alaska. While she and her staff worked to prepare a statement that responded to the test, Haley reportedly used her BlackBerry 10 to exchange comments via OpenNet, a network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for communicating sensitive , but not classified information.

“I can’t find my password,” she wrote on July 5. Other messages asked the staff to make changes to the provisional version of the statement they had prepared.

The unveiling was revealed in e-mails watchdog organization American Oversight obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The incident comes after Haley’s boss, President Donald Trump, neutered his campaign world, Hillary Clinton, to send confidential material through her private e-mail server. His singing to “lock her up” became a constant chorus for him and his supporters.

It is arguable that the OpenNet is more secure than a private e-mail address. Yet there is a reason why the State Department system is not suitable for sending classified material. Last year, Politico reported that the unclassified e-mail system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was related to an infringement that exposed the personal data of a small number of employees.

Watchdog groups have repeatedly criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for what they say is insufficient network security. By the time the 2018 infringement came to light, a two-party group of senators had already asked State Secretary Mike Pompeo what the department was doing to improve matters.

Given the growing determination and skill of hackers sponsored by the governments of North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China, unclassified systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable to espionage. Haley employees, who resigned last October, did not comment on Politico.

Message updated on 11/20/2019, 6:49 PM to change “sensitive” to “confidential” per original article.

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