Most federal agencies are deemed to have poor cybersecurity systems and practices in place, according to a May report from the Office of Management and Budget, effectively showing how vulnerable key information is to hackers and foreign spies.
“The current situation is untenable, as agencies lack both the visibility into their networks to determine the occurrence of cybersecurity incidents and the ability to minimize the impact of an incident if one is detected,” the evaluation reads.
Out of the 96 agencies that were assessed, almost three-quarters were ruled to have cybersecurity programs that are either at “risk” or “high risk.” Specifically, the OMB and Department of Homeland Security found that they are not sufficiently ready to understand “threat actors” and their maneuvers to gain key information, nor allocate resources pertinent to technical safety. (RELATED: Hackers May Bring Back The Paper Ballot)
Furthermore, the means to which a cybercriminal gained access were never identified for 38 percent of federal incidents (11,802), according to the OMB report. In other words, the government is either not equipped or not able to discern how a virtual assault transpired, or who the culprit is.
Even if they were successful in such, the federal agencies aren’t good at communicating to the appropriate parties since 70 percent do not “have predictable, enterprise-wide incident response process in place.” Eighty-three percent don’t analyze the pertinent data after a cyber intrusion has occurred. (RELATED: FBI Arrests Hacker Who Created Virus Linked To Largest Hacking Of US Gov’t Agency)
“At a time when our reliance on technology is becoming greater and the Nation’s digital adversaries are growing more adept, we must ensure that the Federal Government can secure citizens’ information and deliver on their core missions,” the report’s conclusion reads.
Organizations in general, including those that are private, have poor cybersecurity protocol, according to other assessments, showing that it’s a problem all sectors of society need to address.
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