Federal agencies reported more than 35,000 cyber incidents in 2017 alone, but agencies have failed to address vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure, leaving Americans’ sensitive and personal information unsafe and vulnerable to theft.
That’s according to a new report from the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The subcommittee reviewed 10 years of Inspectors General reports on compliance with federal information security standards for the Department of Homeland Security and seven other federal agencies. Seven of the eight federal agencies failed to provide for the adequate protection of personally-identifiable information.
“After a decade of negligence, our federal agencies have failed at implementing basic cybersecurity practices, leaving classified, personal, and sensitive information unsafe and vulnerable to theft,” said U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who serves as PSI’s chairman. “The federal government can, and must, do a better job of shoring up our defenses against the rising cybersecurity threats.”
In addition to the Department of Homeland Security, investigators also reviewed reports from the…
