Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Feds Now Allowed To Use Internet

Posted by samzenpus on from the welcome-to-the-web dept.

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.'"

9 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. The decision title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The decision was entitled, "The internet: Serious Business."

  2. Tomorrow's news: by symbolset · · Score: 5, Funny

    Interior department compromised by botnet.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
    1. Re:Tomorrow's news: by Uncle+Focker · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is madness! No, THIS IS SPARTA!
    2. Re:Tomorrow's news: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Um, you do realize that you can set up an internal WSUS server and manually sync it with an external WSUS server and keep computers on a disconnected network up to date, right?

      Good, because that's what I did when we first got kicked off. I haven't worked there for a few years so I don't know if they kept it up, but it's not hard to do - and certainly not hard to do in preparation of re-connection.

      I guarantee you, the Trust Bureau's probably have networks secure then most military networks. The scrutiny on them from the courts and plantiff's is huge and they know it.

      Funny how the person who started the lawsuit also happens to own a bank and wants the trust fund moved to her bank for administration. Funny how that never comes up - it's always just the "evil government". No, there could never be any other ulterior motives here.

      Puhleeze....

  3. Well he's right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is not the job of a judge to weigh that risk.

  4. Re:and this is important... WHY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Have you played the Lemmiwinks game?

    Would you be willing to deny that experience to any government employee?

  5. You've got to be kidding me! by Synthaxx · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean they've not been watching us all this time?!
    Think of all the [Redacted] i could have [Redacted]!
    Or all the [Redacted] i could have sold!
    Now they tell us this.
    I hope they [Redacted]

    Edit: FBI_Smith(Admin), reason: "Nothing to see here, move along"

  6. Yes, I got it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    First Post!

    (at least from the Department of the Interior)

  7. The switch has not yet been flipped by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    While the judge removed the barriers last week, most of the disconnected agencies have not been brought live as of yet.

    It is a misstatement to say that this is against the Department of the Interior. More correctly would be to say the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a few other small agencies that deal directly with Indian matters. While the DOI had originally claimed that the exposed Indian Trust data was too ingrained within their network that it could not be isolated, a ruling by a federal judge that disconnected the entire DOI caused a change of heart and it was realized that just the BIA and a few of its siblings could be sent to the dark ages by themselves.

    In the six years, these groups have had interconnected LAN's, that have been isolated from the outside world (it is fun to do business with BIA folks as they will give you yahoo, & netzero email accounts which they will check and respond to from home).

    Time will tell what impact reconnecting the BIA will have when the switch is officially flipped on Friday.