Computer Security Lacking at Homeland Security

peter303 writes "The New York Times (reg. required) reports that computer backup procedures are woefully inadequate at 19 centers of the Department of Homeland Security. Should this agency strive to be good example for the rest of the country and protect against extreme hackers? " From the article: "Adequate backups were lacking for networks that screen airline passengers, that inspect goods moving across borders and that communicate with department employees and outside officials. Those same agencies, the auditors found, have in most cases failed to prepare sufficiently written disaster recovery plans that would guide operations if a main office or computer system was knocked out."

Comments

Re:I'm torn...

[ScentCone]

However a lot of this data is stuff that I want to be on a server that crashes hard, without backups. Preferably in such a way that even disaster recovery places can't get the data back.

Um... because you'd rather that security is handled by systems that can mine for threats in real time, all the time, so they don't have to worry about it? Or, because you're really not worried about the foreign national who's overstayed his visa, but who took pilot lessons, just spent a couple of months touring the scenic mountains of northern Pakistan, doesn't file taxes but spends a lot on wholesale chemicals and used dental xray equipment, and wires a lot of money to Hamas? Definately we don't want that info available, even in profile/status form, when he's booking a seat on a flight back into Dulles, or trying to get a license to drive 18-wheelers tankers for his new job at the fuel delivery company or signing up at the railyard where they load chlorine by the megaliter.