State Dept. Computers Vulnerable

DAILY BRIEFING

State Dept. Computers Vulnerable

The State Department shut down part of its international computer system for two weeks last fall after General Accounting Office investigators uncovered security lapses they said could compromise national security, USA Today reported Monday.

Department officials shut down the systems after investigators found data indicating that an unauthorized person had used computers at two undisclosed overseas posts. As a result of the October 1997 intrusion, the two posts were limited in their access to the network, which forced the State Department to circulate delicate information on paper via courier.

The department's computer system links computers in Washington that contain unclassified but sensitive information with 250 U.S. embassies and consulates.

After the incident, federal computer experts and private contractors were brought in to patch the breaches through which intruders were suspected of slipping in.

"Every agency, including the private sector, has security concerns," Patrick Kennedy, acting assistant secretary of State for security, told USA Today.

Kennedy, while declining to elaborate, said the break-in did not affect "a major system."

A GAO report on the incident was completed last week, but the State Department has classified some of the report "Secret" and the rest "For Official Use Only."