Capabilities to Support Inspectors General with Cyber Security

Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) first report to Congress on government information security reform in February 2002 identified six common government-wide security performance gaps.

(1). Lack of senior management attention
(2). Lack of performance measurement
(3). Poor security education and awareness
(4). Failure to fully fund and integrate security into capital planning and investment control
(5). Failure to ensure that contractor services are adequately secure
(6). Failure to detect, report and share information on vulnerabilities

Since then the following events have happened:

• Penetration of Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) computers, June 2008
• The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on Tennessee Valley Authority's Information Security Status, May 2008
• Congressional Concern for Cyber-Vulnerability of Power Grid, Forbes article, May 2008
• Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Hit by Massive Cyber Attack, April 2008
• The New E-spionage Threat, Business Week article, April 2008
• Cyber Initiative February 28, 2008 House Homeland Security Committee Hearing, (requires Windows Media Player, 1hr., 23 minutes in length, move ahead to 6:00 minutes for the beginning of the hearing's content)
• Security experts discuss the changing cyber threat and what it means to the U.S. government and U.S. businesses, June 25, 2008

Read the Innovative Analytics & Training white paper on capabilities Inspectors General need to fulfill their cyber responsibilities.

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