Feds Now Allowed To Use Internet

fast66 writes "Nextgov reports that a new court order allows the Department of the Interior to connect to the Internet, six years after the federal agency was ordered to disconnect. District Judge James Robertson wrote in his ruling, 'I find that the consent order is of no further use and must be vacated.' 'The ... disconnected offices and bureaus may be connected.' He added that his ruling was based not on evidence but 'on a legal conclusion that it is not my role to weigh IT security risks.'"

Comments

Pretty Vacant

[Doc Ruby]

The Interior Dept's servers were ordered disconnected from the Internet after several years in which the Department's computers were repeatedly broken into, the Department never even seriously attempted to secure those servers, lots of important data was compromised, especially data in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Interior Department was exposing Indian Affairs to huge risks, because Indian Affairs is an extremely low priority for the US government, as it always has been.

And now this judge has admitted that he's not qualified to judge security, so therefore he's qualified to order insecure servers back onto the Internet. Because obviously the Bush administration doesn't care about Indians. Especially not since Jack Abramoff, who based much of his corrupt Republican lobbying empire on ripping off Indian tribes, is rotting in jail instead of keeping that Republican machine working.

This judge should have to learn about IT security by having all his personal and professional data stored on these Interior Department servers.