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Information security weaknesses could impact food production, GAO says
- National Journal
- March 1, 2004
- Comments
The Agriculture Department has not fully developed a program to ensure information security for its automated systems and networks, and an interruption in those systems could have a "significant adverse impact on the nation's food and agricultural production," according to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report released Monday.
The findings indicated that "significant, pervasive information-security control weaknesses exist" at the department.
Agriculture has not protected network boundaries, controlled network access, limited mainframe access or fully implemented a program to monitor access, GAO found. The agency also found weaknesses in system software, application software and personnel controls, among others.
"As a result, sensitive data -- including transactions, proprietary information ... and mission-critical data -- are at increased risk of unauthorized disclosure, modification or loss, possibly without being detected," the watchdog agency warned, recommending that the department's chief information officer correct the weaknesses.
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