p2pnet - rss feed: DHS security attacked
p2pnet.net news:- The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t secure, says a US government subcommittee investigating cybersecurity.
The Committee on Homeland Security “blasted” DHS cio Scott Charbo for, “his alleged lack of leadership on key security issues,” questioned his willingness to make necessary security fixes, and wondered about his ability to “head the agency’s IT operations,” says PC World.
Committee members also, “grilled Charbo on his awareness of previous computer intrusions at other federal agencies by Chinese hackers, and asked him why he had failed to solicit detailed information on the attacks from the US-CERT and intelligence agencies,” says the story.
However, Charbo retorted that much of the criticism was based on outdated data which ignored security improvements the DHS has been making.
Committee chairman Bennie Thompson said he’d reviewed Charbo’s responses and, “I think the first thing that Mr. Charbo needs to do is explain to us why he should keep his job,” PC World has him declaring.
Thompson’s criticism was “echoed” by James Langevin, chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology that held the hearing, story goes on.
“In prepared testimony, Langevin expressed ’shock and disappointment’ that the DHS had reported as many as 844 security incidents in fiscal years 2005 and 2006,” says the story, pointing out the, “incidents occurred on IT networks at DHS headquarters, and those belonging to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“The security issues highlighted by Langevin in his testimony included one in which a password dumping utility was found on two DHS servers, Trojans and other malicious programs were found on numerous agency servers and classified mail was found to have been sent out over insecure networks.”
The alleged deficiencies were highlighted by a recent reportfrom the Government Accountability Office (GAO) saying it had found “pervasive and systemic security problems across DHS during a one-year review,” says PC World, adding:
“Among the issues highlighted in the GAO report were a ‘material weakness’ in the security controls over the DHS’ financial systems, the absence of an effective agency-wide information security program and a failure to conduct comprehensive risk assessments. The GAO also highlighted the failure by the CBP to implement controls to prevent, limit and detect access to critical systems and information such as the system that contains information on the US-VISIT program.”
Also See:
PC World - Homeland Security CIO Under Fire, June 22, 2007
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile - http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php | | And use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
