Homeland Security can't stop online threats - GAO
Department of Homeland Security staffing problems and a lack of authority are hampering its efforts to protect the country from Internet-based attacks, according to a congressional report released on Thursday.
The department's National Cyber Security Division has not yet developed a blueprint for recovering from a large Internet attack, nor has it assessed the state of online threats and vulnerabilities, the Government Accountability Office found.
"Until it overcomes the many challenges it faces and completes critical activities, DHS cannot effectively function as the cyber security focal point intended by law and national policy," the report said, echoing the complaints of private-sector security experts.
The division has also had a hard time developing partnerships with the private businesses that control 85 percent of the Internet's infrastructure, the GAO said.
The division has, however, overseen a rapid-response team that can quickly get the word out when new online threats arise, and it has also set up forums that allow U.S. security officials to share threat information with law enforcers.
But the GAO found that overall the Homeland Security Department has not completely addressed any of its 13 key computer-security responsibilities.
The GAO said the department should set milestones to measure its progress, but noted that the fixes it recommended in an earlier report had not been adopted.
In a response, the Homeland Security Department said it did not need to set new milestones as they are already contained in its original plan, and did not agree that there are any "valid" recommendations from the previous report that have yet to be addressed.
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.
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