>>> WE TURN NOW TO ONE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT LEAKS IN YEARS.

THIS WEEK AIR NATIONAL GUARD TOOK DISCIPLININGARY ACTION AGAINST 15 SERVICE MEMBERS FOR FAILING TO PREVENT 21-YEAR-OLD GUARDSMAN JACK TEIXEIRA FROM ALLEGEDLY SHARING HUNDREDS OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS ONLINE.

HE'S CURRENTLY PLEADING NOT GUILTY AS HE AWAITS TRIAL.

NOW THE FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY THE DISCORD LEAKS EXPLORES HOW THE GAMING PLATFORM BECAME A CENTER NOT ONLY FOR SECURITY BREACHES BUT ALSO FOR UNMODERATED EXTREMISM.

>> THANKS.

SAM OAKFORD, SHANE HARRIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

KIND OF BRING OUR AUDIENCE BACK UP TO SPEED HERE.

WHO WAS THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE CENTER OF ALL THIS?

>> JACK TEIXEIRA, THE 21-YEAR-OLD AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMAN FROM MASSACHUSETTS IS THE PERSON ULTIMATELY SUSPECTED OF DOING THESE LEAKS, RIGHT?

SO WE CAN GO BACK TO APRIL WHEN SHANE AND I STARTED ON THIS STORY.

THERE WAS INTELLIGENCE TRICKLING OUT.

IT TURNED OUT IT CAME FROM DISCORD.

WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN SEVERAL HUNDRED IMAGES THAT WERE TIED TO TEIXEIRA.

WE SPENT THE LAST SIX, EIGHT MONTHS TRACKING DOWN THE PEOPLE HE INTERACTED ON DISCORD, THE PLATFORM WHERE HE START TO SHARE THESE OVER AER WHY AGO.

>> I'LL GET TOM IN A SECOND.

PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE.

HOW SIGNIFICANT OF A LEAK OF CLASSIFIED AND TOP SECRET INFORMATION WAS THIS?

>> IN TERMS THE QUANTITY, IT WAS VERY SIGNIFICANT.

IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST LEAKS IN RECENT YEARS IN U.S. INTELLIGENCE.

WHAT DISTINGUISHED THIS FROM OTHERS WAS THE BREADTH OF IT AND THE TIMELINESS.

TEIXEIRA WAS ALLEGEDLY TAKING DOCUMENTS FROM HIS WORK PLACE THAT COVERED JUST ABOUT EVERY CONCEIVABLE GLOBAL HOT SPOT YOU COULD IMAGINE.

THE WAR IN UKRAINE, THING GOING ON IN CHINA, RUSSIA, ASIA, A GLOBAL LOOK AT WHAT THE INTELLIGENCE WAS COLLECTING.

AND IT WAS VERY TIMELY.

HE WAS SHARING UPDATES ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN UKRAINE WITH HIS FRIENDS SO IT IS THE BREADTH OF THIS.

IT IS LIKE A SAMPLE OF EVERYTHING THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY WOULD BE LOOKING AT AT A GIVEN POINT IN TIME.

>> SO SAM, THIS INDIVIDUAL HAD ACCESS TO THIS BECAUSE OF WHERE HE WORK, THE TIME OF JOB THAT HE DID.

TELL US ABOUT HOW HE WAS SHARING THIS INFORMATION.

HOW WOULD HE GET THE TOP SECRET FILES OUT OF THE OFFICE ON TO DISCORD.

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T USED DISCORD, WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT PLATFORM?

>> THE AIR FORCE RELEASED THE SUMMARY OF A REPORT THIS WEEK WHICH SHED MORE LIGHT ON HOW HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN GAINING ACCESS TO THE MATERIAL.

HE HAD TOP SECRET CLEARANCE TO BEGIN WITH.

HE WAS MORE OF AN I.T.

WORKER AND THAT DIDN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT HE NEEDED TO SEE ALL THE MATERIAL.

THE AIR FORCE REPORT DETERMINED THAT THIS BASE, THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE IN CAPE COD, WAS ACTUALLY SHOWING PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW.

WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW AT ALL TIMES HE WAS BRINGING IT HOME OR SHARING IT BUT IT CHANGED OVER TIME.

HE WAS POSTING TEXTS.

HE WAS SHARING THINGS, CASUALTY COUNTS RELATED TO THE UKRAINE OR HE STARTED TO MAKE THOSE UPDATES A LITTLE MORE ELABORATE.

AND THEN TOWARD THE END OF LAST YEAR, WE'VE BEEN TOLD HE WAS TAKING IMAGES.

HE WAS TAKING THEM TO HIS HOUSE.

HE WAS CAUGHT SEVERAL TIMES BY HIS SUPERIORS AT THE BASE BUT THAT DID NOT INTERRUPT HIS LEAKING, AS IT TURNED OUT.

AND DISCORD ITSELF IS A CLOSED PLATFORM THAT A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT NOT PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE IMAGINED.

IT WAS A PRETTY RACIST AND HOMOPHOBIC NAME AND THAT'S WHERE HE WAS LEAKING THE DOCUMENTS WITH THE CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY.

AND HE ALSO LEAKED ON A SEPARATE SERVER AND NEITHER WERE NOTICED BY DISCORD ITSELF.

>> SO SHANE, HOW DO WE GET FROM HIM LEAKING IT IN THIS OTHERWISE PRIVATE COMMUNITY.

IT IS NOT LIKE POSTING IT TO FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM AND IT GOES VIRAL.

SHARE WITH US ABOUT HOW IT WENT FROM THE CHAT ROOM TO YOUR RADAR AND THE WORLD.

>> SOMEBODY IN THIS TIGHT-KNIT CIRCLE, AND WE SHOULD SAY THESE ARE MOSTLY TEENAGE BOYS WHO ARE THE FOLLOWERS.

ONE OF THEM TOOK A CHUNK OF THESE DOCUMENTS, ABOUT FOUR DOZEN OF THEM AND SHARED THEM TO ANOTHER ONE AND THEY'RE REPOSTED.

THE MEMBERS OF THE SERVER, THEN THERE'S AN UNWRITTEN RULE.

DON'T SHARE THIS.

THAT'S WHAT SETS OFF THE CHAIN REACTION IN LATE FEBRUARY OF THIS AREA.

APRIL IS WHEN U.S. OFFICIALS AND OTHERS START TO NOTICE THAT THESE DOCUMENTS ARE NOW POPPING UP ALL AROUND THE INTERNET, AND THAT'S WHEN JOURNALISTS LIKE SAM AND MYSELF BECAME AWARE OF IT AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THESE DOCUMENTS HAD COME FROM AND WHO HAD POSTED THEM.

>> SO SAM, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU GO ABOUT FIGURING OUT WHO THIS INDIVIDUAL IS BEFORE THE DETAILS ARE RELEASED IN AN INVESTIGATION OR ANYTHING.

HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHO HIS FRIENDS ARE TO GET YOU TO TALK WITH HIM FOR THE STORY AND THE FRONT LINE SPECIAL.

>> Reporter: IN APRIL, THEY WERE POPPING UP ON TELEGRAM, ON TWITTER, AND OTHER PLATFORMS THAT ARE MORE FRINGE.

IT QUICKLY BECAME CLEAR THEY WERE COMING FROM DISCORD.

THEN WE STARTED TO GET CLUES ABOUT WHO HIS FRIENDS MIGHT BE AND ULTIMATELY, SHANE AND I WERE ABLE TO TALK TO MEMBERS OF THE CLOSE-KNIT SERVER VERY EARLY ON AND WE PUBLISHED SOMETHING WITHIN DAYS BEFORE TEIXEIRA WAS ARRESTED.

SO WE HAD THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY WHICH IS SOMETHING WE'VE USED THE LAST SIX MONTHS TO PAINT A PICTURE OF TEIXEIRA THAT.

>> DID THESE PEOPLE WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU?

ESPECIALLY VIDEO FORMAT?

>> IT WAS TRICKY.

THESE WERE KIDS THAT HAD SPENT THE PANDEMIC REALLY STARVED FOR INTERACTION.

THAT REALLY PLAYED A ROLE IN THE DYNAMIC.

HE TOOK ON THIS ALMOST UNCLE-LIKE ROLE.

HE WAS DISSEMINATING KNOWLEDGE.

THAT WAS HOW HE FRAMED THIS INFORMATION.

THEY WERE EAGER TO TELL THEIR STORY BECAUSE I THINK IN SOME CASES, THEY REALLY WERE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH WHAT HAD HAPPENED.

>> GORE WAS POSTED ON, PICTURES OF JIHADI BEHEADINGS OR CARTEL KILLINGS.

DUDE, LOOK AT THIS GUY GETTING HIS HEAD CHOPPED OFF.

IT WAS COOL.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NOW?

>> I'M DEFINITELY NOT PROUD OF IT AT ALL.

SITS EMBARRASSING AND HUMILIATING TO SPEAK ABOUT IT NOW BUT I'M WILLING TO.

>> YOU MENTIONED THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME OR THE FIRST INSTANCE OF TEIXEIRA GETTING IN TROUBLE ON HIS JOB.

SO HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES MISSED WERE THERE BEFORE WE GET TO THIS POINT WHERE ALL THESE DIFFERENT SECRETS ARE OUT?

>> THERE WERE MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES AND THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY FEATURES WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT TO ANSWER FOR THIS.

THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR INSTANCES THAT HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED SO FAR BY AIR FORCE INVESTIGATORS OF TEIXEIRA BEING INVESTIGATED BY HIS SUPERIORS IN THE SECURE FACILITY WHERE HE WORKED AT THAT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE.

READING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS, TAKING NOTES ON THEM IN SOME CASES AND HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THAT.

AND HE'S REPRIMANDED FOR IT.

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHILE HE'S BEING SCOLDED, NO ONE PULLS HIM OFF THE LINE OR RESTRICTS HIS ACCESS.

WHAT THIS NEW INVESTIGATION HAS FOUND THIS WEEK NO, ONE IN HIS CHAIN OF COMMAND REPORTED HIM TO THE RELEVANT SECURITY OFFICIALS WHOSE JOB IT IS TO STEP IN WHEN SOMEONE VIOLATES THOSE RULES AND SUSPEND THEM OR WITH HOLE THEIR CLEARANCE.

THAT JUST NEVER HAPPENED.

AND THEY FAULTED THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD FOR WHAT THEY CALLED A CULTURE OF COMPLACENCY ABOUT TEIXEIRA AND THEY FOUND OTHER INSTANCES IN WHICH PEOPLE WERE LOOKING AT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION THAT THEY DIDN'T NEED TO SEE.

NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE ACCUSED OF LEAKING IT.

THERE WAS AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS QUITE PERMISSIVE.

THE NORMAL RULE ABOUT HOW TO YOU HANDLE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WERE NOT FOLLOWED.

>> WERE THERE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY HELD ACCOUNTABLE?

>> SO FAR THE AIR FORCE THAT THEY DISCIPLINED 15 PEOPLE IN CONNECTION WITH THIS, WHICH IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER.

PERHAPS MOST NOTABLY, THE COLONEL IN COMMAND OF THE 102 INTELLIGENCE WING WHERE TEIXEIRA WORKED HAS BEEN RELIEVED OF HIS COMMAND WHICH IS A RATHER SEVERE PUNISHMENT.

SO FAR IT HAS REALLY FOCUSED ON THIS PARTICULAR UNIT WHERE THIS HAPPENED.

I THINK WHAT WE FOUND IS THE SECURITY CLEARANCE PROCESS AND OTHER MECHANISMS PUT IN PLACE TO UMBRELLA SOMETHING LIKE THIS DON'T SEEM TO BE WORKING AND CAPTURING WHO THE NEXT TEIXEIRA MIGHT BE.

IT IS NOT BEING DONE IN THIS ONE SIMPLE INVESTIGATION.

>> I UNDERSTAND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CANNOT PERFORM THE TIME OF FORENSIC DEEP DIVE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.

BUT IT IS KIND OF ASTOUNDING TO ME THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO FIND SO MANY DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS TO JACK, WHAT HE'S BEEN POSTING, WHERE THE OTHER PLATFORMS WHERE HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ACTIVE.

AND THE MILITARY COULD NOT.

IS THERE SOMETHING IN OUR INTAKE SYSTEM?

SOMETHING IN OUR VETERANING PROCESS, SOMETHING THAT GETS PEOPLE A CLEARANCE THAT IS JUST BROKEN?

>> THERE IS VERY LITTLE VISIBILITY ABOUT WHAT JACK WAS DOING ON THE INTERNET.

HE WENT THROUGH WHAT SHOULD BE A VIGOROUS BACKGROUND CHECK FOR GETTING THIS TOP SECURITY KREERNS.

WHAT WE CONFIRMED WAS THAT THE MILITARY DOES NOT REALLY LOOK AT PEOPLE'S ONLINE ACTIVITY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.

FOR SOMEONE LIKE TEIXEIRA, APPARENT OF HIS AGE WHO IS THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WOULD BE POPULATING THE LOWER RANKS OF THE MILITARY EVERY DAY, RIGHT?

THEY ARE SPENDING THEIR ENTIRE LIVES ONLINE.

IF THEY'RE GAMERS, OUTSIDE THEIR JOBS, THERE WERE RED FLAGS IN HIS HISTORY GOING BACK TO HIS HIGH SCHOOL YEARS WHERE HE WAS SUSPENDED FOR MAKING THREATS OF VIOLENCE AND RACIST COMMENTS AT SCHOOL.

THAT WAS OVERLOOKED BUT THEY WERE AWARE OF IT.

THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY OF THE ACTIVITY THAT HE ENGAGED IN ONLINE.

HE WAS ALREADY RACIST AND INVOLVING THREATS OF VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL.

SO THAT'S THE ORIGIN OF THE TOTAL LACK OF VISIBILITY WHICH WAS THEN FOLLOWED BY A CASCADING A SERIES OF FAILURES THAT SAM DESCRIBED.

>> WITHOUT NECESSARILY REPEATING SOME OF THE EXPLICIT STUFF, CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT THESE COMMUNITIES WERE LIKE ON DISCORD WHERE JACK TEIXEIRA WAS SHARING IT?

>> MANY PEOPLE USE DISCOURT THAT AREN'T LIKE WHAT THESE KIDS WERE DOING.

MANY.

THESE KIDS SPENT TIME IN PLACES LIKE WHERE THE LANGUAGE CAN BE REALLY TOXIC, REALLY ANTISMITHIC.

THE WAY DISCORD IS STRUCTURED, YOU CAN CREATE A COMMUNITY IN THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE.

THAT'S A SELLING POINT.

ANOTHER KEY ASPECT OF DISCORDS IS THAT THEY DON'T REALLY MONITOR WHAT IS GOING ON OUTSIDE NARROW CASES.

FOR INSTANCE, A CHILD'S SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.

IF THERE'S MATERIAL LIKE THAT, THEY MIGHT CATCH IT.

IF YOU'RE RUNNING A SERVER WHERE YOU'RE MAKING RACIST COMMENTS OR IN HIS CASE, POSTING VIDEOS MAKING COMMENTS LIKE THAT.

THEY DON'T APPEAR TO BE CATCHING THAT.

WE FOUND THEY VIOLATED OTHER THINGS.

HATE SPEECH, IMAGES OF GORE.

THREATS OF VIOLENCE.

THESE ARE ALL THINGS WE'VE DOCUMENTED.

WERE WERE THESE PARTICULAR KIDS ALLOWED TO KEEP SHARING THIS KIND OF MATERIAL FOR MORE THAN A YEAR?

>> THIS COME DOWN TO OUR ABILITY TO IDENTIFY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THESE SPACES.

WE RELY ON THIRD PARTIES TO HELP US WITH INTELLIGENCE.

NONE OF THAT HAPPENED HERE.

>> NONE OF IT WAS LIKELY TO LAMB.

IF ONE OF THEM OBJECTED TO RACIST ANTISEMITISM COMMENTS, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FLAGGED BUT THEY DIDN'T BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL IN ON IT.

YOU'RE SAYING THE COMPANY HAS NO WAY OF MONITORING FOR THAT ON ITS OWN?

>> WE REQUIRE THAT PEOPLE ARE HELPING TO KEEP DISCORD SAFE.

WE DO SCAN IF PARTICULAR FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL.

THAT IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY BAD.

WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER CLASSES OF ABUSE, WE ALL NEED TO COLLECTIVELY THINK ABOUT, ARE WE JUST DIVING INTO SOMEONE'S PRIVACY?

>> WE HAVE IN THE LAST 15 TWIRG YEARS, LIVED THROUGH VERY HIGH PROFILE LEAK SITUATIONS.

WHETHER IT IS SQUEAKY LEAKS OR EDWARD HE SNOWDEN OR CHELSEA MANNING.

AND OFTEN AFTER ANTIACTION REPORTS, THEY SAY HERE'S HOW WE'LL BUCKLE DOWN.

HERE'S HOW WE'LL PREVENT IT IN THE FUTURE.

WHY ARE WE BACK HERE?

WHO KNOWS WHAT IS BEING SHARED TODAY?

>> THEY ALL HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH WHAT TEIXEIRA IS ALLEGED TO HAVE DONE.

SOMEONE WITH TOP SECRET CLEARANCE AND HAD ACCESS TO ALL THIS INFORMATION ABUSED THE PRIVILEGED ACCESS THEY HAVE.

THE MILITARY COME IN AND TRIES TO TWEAK THE SYSTEM TO MAKE IT LESS LIKELY THAT WOULD HAPPEN.

FUNDAMENTALLY, THERE IS NOT A CHANGE TO THIS SORT OF THE BASIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE SYSTEM.

THAT POST 9/11, THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, THE GOVERNMENT AS A WHOLE MADE A DECISION TO MAKE CLASSIFIED INTELLIGENCE MUCH MORE WIDELY AVAILABLE TO A BROAD VARIETY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CLEARANCES.

AND THERE WAS A REASON FOR THAT.

BEFORE 9/11, INFORMATION WAS SILOED.

IT WAS OVERPROTECTED.

PEOPLE AT THE FBI DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE CIA KNEW ABOUT 19 PEOPLE WHO WERE ABOUT TO GET ON AIRPLANES.

SO THEY TRIED TO CORRECT THAT BY SPREADING OUT THE ACCESS.

WHAT THEY'VE NEVER DONE IS TRIED TO REGULATE ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL WHO GETS TO SEE CERTAIN DOCUMENTS AND WHO DOESN'T.

WE'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE INCLUDING LAWMAKERS IN OUR REPORTING WHO SAID, LISTEN, THERE'S TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE THAT COULD ESSENTIALLY MAKE IT SO A GUY LIKE JACK TEIXEIRA WHO IS JUST THE MAINTENANCE PERSON, IF HE'S SPOTTED LINGERING ON DOCUMENTS, CALLING UP DOCUMENTS, SEARCHING FOR THEM, THAT COULD FLAG SOMEONE TO SAY, WAIT A MINUTE.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT TRACKS WITH WHAT YOUR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES ARE.

WE REALLY DON'T HAVE A SYSTEM ON A PERVASIVE SYSTEMWIDE LEVEL TO GATE THAT ACCESS.

AND WHY THE MILITARY IS NOT DOING IT?

IT COULD BE HARD, IT COULD BE CUMBERSOME AND THERE'S A LEVEL OF BUREAUCRATIC INERTIA HERE.

THIS IS THE WAY THEY'RE DOING IT FOR 20 YEARS.

WITH EVERY ONE OF THESE LEAKS, IT IS THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS.

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE AN INSIDER THREAT LIKE THIS.

THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY DON'T LEAK INFORMATION.

WHEN THEY DO, IT CAN BE INCREDIBLY DAMAGING.

REPORTERS FROM THE "WASHINGTON POST" BUT ALSO CO-PRODUCERS OF THE FRONT LINE DOCUMENTARY CALLED THE DISCORD LEAKS.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.