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

And this matters how???

[shoppa]

What difference does it make whether you have backup hardware/network/software ready when the primary doesn't even do the desired job? The government as a whole spends billions every year to attempt to refine ill-defined requirements into working productive systems that fill real needs. The DHS has never succeeded in producing such a system.

It's easy to pick holes in the lack of backup of a system, but it's pointless when the system has no utility to begin with.

What do backups have to do with security?

[MythoBeast]

Since when does failing to back up your hard drive make your system easier to hack into? If you're talking about them having poor data integrity that's one thing, but this doesn't seem to point to poor computer security.

Re:It's all an Illusion

[Tackhead]

> I have the feeling that nobody's really trying hard enough to protect us. We stand an hour longer in the security line just so that people can bring explosives through in their shoes? Now they make us take our shoes off. What if someone brings explosives through in their pants?

...then evolutionary pressures start to select in favor of people like the Goatse Guy?

Seriously - that was the biggest disappointment about the shoe-bomber case. If he'd only smuggled the bomb up his ass, the simple act of getting in line at the airport would be a lot more fun.

Imagine hearing stuff like "Excuse me, ma'am, I think you're kinda cute, and since I'm kinda average, and since the guy front of me is obviously better-looking than me, and since the guy standing behind you is obviously gay, I think that three out of the four of us would be happier if you and I switched places. How 'bout it?"

Everybody wins!

It's not just America

[CHESTER COPPERPOT]

Your friends in the war on terror over here in Australia plainly don't care about security either. In the last few weeks we've found dodgy baggage handlers in the airports, a chinese diplomat who is trying to defect and says that Australia is infested with chinese spies and threats against foreign countries embassies within our own soil.

Governments are hopeless at dealing with security. They are slow, lack innovative thinking and care more for their own careers than for their constituents. What matters most is whether or not you can protect yourself, your assets and your family when (if) the time comes. Then you can rid your mind of all the political and media led one-upmanship that comes along with security and the war on terrorism and get more important things done in life.

Re:It's all an Illusion

[Bios_Hakr]

Something I've wondered is when the terrorists will actually have the explosives INSIDE them. Fuck, if you are gonna die anyway, just pull out a kidney or pack some explosives inside a lung.

The main problem will be to get the guy so drugged he won't care about the stitches/pain yet will still be able to physically board the plane.

It'd be even better to use a post-partum woman. She'd already have a lot of room and wouldn't really require surgery to implant the explosives. It'd be hard to get a woman recruited into their little cult, but if they kidnap a baby and promise to release the child if the woman goes with their plan, I'm sure they'd get a few willing moms.

Just remember: The next thing will be something we don't expect. Kinda like the Inquisition.