The IG noted the agency has made significant strides in the right direction, however it is still vulnerable "due to a lack of coordination, guidance, training and compliance with existing policies," according to the report summary.
Report: DHS Can Strengthen Its Cyber Mission Coordination Efforts
"DHS plays a pivotal role in coordinating the national response to cyber incidents that result from the vulnerabilities created by our increased reliance on IT systems," said IG John Roth. "While our audit showed improved coordination between DHS components in carrying out their cybersecurity functions, we have identified duplication of effort and lack of effective policies and controls."
Don't Miss CYBERCON 2015, a cybersecurity conference coming Nov. 18, featuring DISA Director Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn. Get details here.
The audit focused on three DHS components: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Protection and Programs Directorate and the U.S. Secret Service.
To be effective, the IG recommends DHS develop and train employees on an automated cyber information sharing tool to coordinate cybersecurity efforts across the agency's many components, which often act independently.
"There have been instances in which incidents were referred to the wrong components within DHS or outside the department," the IG wrote. "Ultimately, this confusion may have restricted DHS from using all of its cybersecurity capabilities or caused delays in its response and recovery efforts."
Similarly, the audit discovered "deficiencies in the components' compliance with DHS' information security requirements in the areas of plan of action and milestones management, specialized training and the implementation of DHS baseline configuration settings," the report reads. "If not addressed, these deficiencies could result in the loss, misuse, modification and unauthorized access to the department's information systems and data."
Despite those reasonable roadblocks, the IG stressed the importance of developing a plan to ensure the new office's responsibilities and capabilities mesh with the rest of the DHS components in fulfilling the mission.
CIR officials told the IG they are in the process of developing a timeline for creating a strategic plan and policies.
The IG suggested DHS management help this process along by developing a top-level plan for the entire department that can be tweaked to suit individual components.
- Develop a strategic plan to improve cyber awareness in all of its agencies;
- Establish a departmentwide cyber training program;
- Create a departmentwide system for sharing cybersecurity information;
- Make technical enhancements to strengthen information systems; and
- Bring ICE and the Secret Service into full compliance with information security policies.
DHS concurred with the IG's recommendations and has already taken action on some.
Don't Miss CYBERCON 2015, a cybersecurity conference coming Nov. 18, featuring DISA Director Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn. Get details here.
Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.
