IG finds lapses in DHS IT security
An audit of fiscal 2015 information security practices noted progress but found that DHS components did not maintain their security programs on a continuous, year-round basis.
An audit of the Department of Homeland Security's fiscal 2015 information security practices noted some progress but found that DHS components did not maintain their security programs on a continuous, year-round basis.
The report from the DHS Office of Inspector General states that performance metrics related to security authorization, for example, peaked during the annual reporting period for the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 but dropped in subsequent months. That trend is an "indication that components are not complying with requirements to update and maintain systems'...documentation on a continuous basis," the report states.
The OIG also found what it considered to be other gaps in the department's information security reporting. For example, DHS does not include information on classified systems as part of a monthly security scorecard. Further, the U.S. Coast Guard reports its personal identity verification data to the Defense Department rather than via the required route through DHS.
DHS made progress in fiscal 2015, however, by adding reporting metrics for anti-phishing and malware defense and expanding the configuration management metric, the auditors found.
Nonetheless, the report also identifies deficiencies in key areas, including DHS' continuous monitoring program. In a review of eight DHS components, four did not perform network penetration testing, five systems were unable to block unauthorized software from being introduced to the network, and three components could not block unauthorized hardware.
Unless it rectifies such deficiencies, the auditors wrote, "the department cannot ensure that its systems are properly secured to protect sensitive information stored and processed in them."
The OIG recommended that DHS report classified system data on its monthly security scorecards and boost oversight of components' information security programs to ensure that they comply with requirements throughout the year.
DHS disagreed with the first recommendation, saying that FISMA guidance does not require submission of data on classified systems.