Security Incidences for US Government Increase 650%

According to GAO (Government Accountability Office), which released one report recently, federal agencies, unable to safeguard themselves from malicious programs as well as other security events, have allowed an over 650% increase in the incidences during the last 5 years, published TheEpochTimes on October 9, 2011.

The Government Affairs Committee and the Senate Homeland Security helped release the report while a yearly audit was conducted within the purview of the Federal Information Security Management Act.

Statistics presented for GAO to peruse suggest 41,776 security attacks like worm/virus outbreaks, denial-of-service situations, and illegal access during 2010, wherein over threefold of the total malware, starting 2009, too counted, contrasted with only 5,503 attacks during 2006.

Moreover, the annual inspection revealed faults within information security regulations across the government which raised danger for IT systems.

Meanwhile, the report states that a fundamental cause for these faults involves the agencies which haven't wholly enforced their software for IT security. Consequently, they don't possess cent-percent assurance that there are all the necessary controls as also those are working as desired for safeguarding the agencies' IT resources, thus endangering them with assault or compromise.

Further GAO states that other agencies too have the risk of encountering illegal admission into government PCs, denial-of-service or malware assaults against government websites.

The growth of malicious software as well as other Internet security problems for government agencies is also attributed to the intentional/unintentional acts of the work-force within the federal government.

Additionally, according to the report, documented assaults along with accidental incidences related to crucial infrastructure systems as also federal systems prove that any severe assault can be highly damaging. Also, there've been various incidents of data thefts or leakages, privacy breaches, and computer hackings confronting agencies, emphasizing that security practices require to be enhanced.

Furthermore, GAO's report alerted about forthcoming assaults aiming at slowing down traffic or completely stopping it from flowing to government online sites. Events like those the Anonymous hacker gang launched characteristically comprise Internet-assaults besides physical protests.

Hence, till the time federal agencies wholly enforce adequate security solutions, government PCs will bear an increased danger of assault alternatively hijack, GAO concludes.

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» SPAMfighter News - 10/17/2011