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Return to Article: TSA breach prompts call for new data protection measure

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  This is a problem that can not be resolved with more legislation or more sophisticated technology. The weak link here is the personnel that are responsible for safeguarding the data they are managing. Federal employees from the top down are refusing to comply with already existing IT security laws and policies. The first step in addressing this ever increasing problem is enforcing the already existing laws and policies. I was recently fired from a Department of Interior IT position because I questioned the agency's top level managements' lack of compliance with it's own IT Password Policy. The first line of defense against IT security breaches are accountability of those that are entrusted to protect the data they are managing. I bet federal employees would be more apt to comply with IT security policies if they really believed that last paragraph (in all federal IT Password Policy memorandums) that states that if an employee violates the policy they can face termination.

  SC Posted May 18, 2007 9:06 AM
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  Well, here we go again. The government, rather than enforcing the existing regulations, will inevitably decide to create some new and bizarre series of rules. The rules, probably something stupid like locking out USB ports, or blocking all access to the internet, won't address the real problem. What it will do is make work much more difficult, take valuable tools away from the people in the field, and basically make management look like it's doing SOMETHING.

  Here's a thought- why don't they try something novel, like actually MANAGING the problem?

  John Locke Posted May 14, 2007 11:10 PM