Pete Hegseth 'had unsecured office internet line to connect to Signal' in Pentagon

had an internet connection which bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the messaging app on a personal computer, reports today claim.

Two people familiar with the US Defense Secretary spoke to the Associated Press on conditions of anonymity today to raise their concerns. Since the level of the contempt some of Donald Trump's key cabinet members have felt for their "free-loading" European allies, .

Pressure has grown on Mr Trump to fire the politician as Mr Hegseth, 44, created one chat, which included his relatives, as well as his personal lawyer, where , it emerged.

And the reported use of an unsecured web connection at the Pentagon - known as a "dirty" internet line by the IT industry - leaves dad-of-four Mr Hegseth vulnerable to further criticism. The line connects directly to the public internet, where the user's information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon's secured connections maintain.

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The standard Pentagon connection prevents the user from showing up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defence Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior US official familiar with military network security. In contrast, a "dirty" line — just like any public internet connection — may lack the recordkeeping compliance required by federal law.

Asked about Hegseth’s use of Signal in his office, which was first reported by , chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Defence Secretary's "use of communications systems and channels is classified."

"However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer," Mr Parnell said in a statement.

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Mr Trump has also defended Mr Hegseth amid the latest Signal controversy. Speaking this week, the US President said: "It’s just fake news. They (reporters) just bring up stories." Vice President JD Vance said: "I have 100% confidence in the secretary. I know the president does and, really, the entire team does."

Signal is a commercially available app, which is not authorised to be used for sensitive or classified information. It is encrypted, but can be hacked.

While Signal offers more protections than standard text messaging, it is no guarantee of security. Officials also must ensure their hardware and connections are secure, said Theresa Payton, White House chief information officer under President George W Bush and now CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity firm.