Agency infosec weaknesses threaten federal data

By

Weaknesses in information security policies and practices at 24 federal agencies put federal information and data systems at risk, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

Released Friday, the report lists a variety of infosec problems at federal agencies, including: access controls not effectively implemented, software change controls not always in place, and segregation of duties not consistently implemented.


"These weaknesses exist primarily because agencies have not fully implemented strong information security management programs. These weaknesses put federal operations and assets at risk of fraud, misuse, and destruction," GAO analysts said.

Overall, the report concluded that the government is making progress in implementing the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), but recommended that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) improve its annual FISMA reporting guidelines.

While OMB agreed that agencies need to make infosec improvements, the agency objected to the report's criticism of its FISMA reporting guidelines.

www.gao.gov

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © SC Magazine, US edition
Tags:

Most Read Articles

India's alarm over Chinese spying rocks CCTV makers

India's alarm over Chinese spying rocks CCTV makers

Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies

Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies

Cyber companies hope to untangle weird hacker codenames

Cyber companies hope to untangle weird hacker codenames

Victoria's Secret pulls down website amid security incident

Victoria's Secret pulls down website amid security incident

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?