DHS scores F on cybersecurity report card | CNET News.com
DHS scores F on cybersecurity report card | CNET News.com:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security earned failing marks in an annual computer security report card released Thursday by a congressional oversight committee.
That means the federal agency tasked with principal responsibility for the nation's cybersecurity has now received a grade of "F" from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform for three straight years--in other words, every year of its young existence.
It's not alone. Of the 24 departments on the scorecard (click for PDF), seven others, including Energy, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, State, and Defense, also received failing marks for 2005. The scores for both Defense and State had hovered above passing-- at D and D+, respectively--in 2004. The overall grade across all government agencies was D+, unchanged from last year.
The shortcomings were little surprise but are nonetheless "appalling," said Gene Spafford, a Purdue University computer science professor who has long been urging greater cybersecurity research and more development dollars. He served on a presidential advisory committee that released a scathing report last year called "The Cyber Security Crisis: A Failure of Prioritization."