Government agencies have not made progress in improving cybersecurity levels over the past two years.
Representatives of the United States Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee reported that key government agencies have not made progress in improving cybersecurity over the past two years.
In 2019, a report was published in which eight federal agencies were criticized for failing to adhere to core cybersecurity standards and protocols. Two years later, the cybersecurity of these agencies was re-analyzed, and the results were disappointing.
As reported in a new report by Federal Cybersecurity: America’s Data Still at Risk, inspectors general have assessed the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and US Social Security Administration. According to the results of the audit, it became known that only the US Department of Homeland Security has developed an effective cybersecurity program, and the rest have made only minimal improvements.
“While several agencies have made minimal improvements in one or more areas, inspectors have found essentially the same vulnerabilities as in the previous 10 years. Only the Department of Homeland Security has an effective cybersecurity program for 2020. No other agency has been able to implement the same program, ”the report says.
Issues identified by the agencies included vulnerable computer systems, the use of outdated software and applications, an inability to maintain an accurate inventory of IT assets, and an inability to adequately protect personal information.
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