I work for a national laboratory where we have two separate networks: one for unclassified, one for classified. We use an air gap to separate the two networks. The classified one has no connection to the outside world, and the only way to get information to the classified net is through tape and sneakernet, and the only people who have access to do this are subject to polygraphs. In fact, for those of us who have classified and unclassified computers in our office, the network cables must be separated by 6 inches (15cm), and this is actually audited by computer security folks.
There are so many rules in place, we even have classified keyboards -- you cannot hook a keyboard up to an unclassified computer that has been contaminated by being connected to a classified one. The hardest part about this is that you cannot have classified and unclassified data on the same hard drive. The point is, there are so many rules in place designed to prevent this, no other government agencies but the NSA would ever consider this. We would rather pay twice for two separate sets of computers and networks.
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Check out the Writer's Guild of America home page. It has page after page of details about the current negotiations to avoid an upcoming strike.
I work for a national laboratory where we have two separate networks: one for unclassified, one for classified. We use an air gap to separate the two networks. The classified one has no connection to the outside world, and the only way to get information to the classified net is through tape and sneakernet, and the only people who have access to do this are subject to polygraphs. In fact, for those of us who have classified and unclassified computers in our office, the network cables must be separated by 6 inches (15cm), and this is actually audited by computer security folks. There are so many rules in place, we even have classified keyboards -- you cannot hook a keyboard up to an unclassified computer that has been contaminated by being connected to a classified one. The hardest part about this is that you cannot have classified and unclassified data on the same hard drive. The point is, there are so many rules in place designed to prevent this, no other government agencies but the NSA would ever consider this. We would rather pay twice for two separate sets of computers and networks.