Dive Brief:
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A federal audit conducted by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security and released yesterday says DHS needs to secure its information systems better.
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Of particular concern, the audit found vulnerabilities in internal systems used by the Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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The auditor's report recommended DHS establish a training program for its analysts and investigators, among other things.
Dive Insight:
The audit identified deficiencies in ICE and Secret Service internal websites used to report investigation statistics and for case tracking and information sharing. These deficiencies "may result in loss, misuse, modification and unauthorized access to the department's information systems and data," said the report.
The audit made nine recommendations for improvement to DHS, including developing a plan to coordinate cyber activities. DHS accepted the recommendations and says it is it working to address them.
The federal government's security practices are under careful scrutiny after recent breaches at the Office of Personnel Management, the State Department and other agencies.
