Federal IT Systems Vulnerable To Cyberattack, Report SaysFederal IT Systems Vulnerable To Cyberattack, Report Says

The federal government's IT systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks because the government lacks a coordinated and comprehensive approach to its critical infrastructure, a congressional report says.

A report from the General Accounting Office, released Monday by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, says existing protection efforts don't address all key infrastructure areas and their respective federal agencies, including industries such as chemical manufacturing and food safety. Furthermore, the GAO says organizations have failed to establish consistent relationships with other protection agencies that share similar responsibilities. None of the organizations reviewed by the GAO appropriated funds specifically for cyberprotection programs, making it impossible to track efforts being made to remedy these vulnerabilities, according to the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress.

"As this report shows, our cyberspace infrastructure is ripe for attack today," Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat who chairs the panel, said in a statement.

The GAO report concludes that coordination and protection efforts are greatly hindered by the absence of a comprehensive cyberprotection strategy, which is being developed by the President's Critical Infrastructure Board.

Lieberman and Sen. William Bennett of Utah, the ranking Republican on the committee, requested the report in October after the committee began a series of hearings examining the security of critical infrastructure. The report identified and examined more than 50 federal organizations that have national or multiagency responsibilities related to protecting critical IT systems.