>>3344925 According to the article linked in Q's post, the issue was uncovered during a 2015 audit. However, the government had purchased items from Elemental since 2008 (Dept. of the Navy) AND Supermicro (NASA) since 2011.

re linking article from Q's post:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies

https://www.usaspending.gov/#/keyword_search/825177368

https://www.usaspending.gov/#/keyword_search/809102239