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Report says US government computers at risk of online threats

A new report has revealed that key US government departments may be inadvertently exposing consumer data to online security threats, it has been claimed.

According to the report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), as of last September, around 70 per cent of sensitive information held on government appliances like laptop computers and mobile phones did not have any encryption.

"While all agencies have initiated efforts to deploy encryption technologies, none had documented comprehensive plans to guide encryption implementation activities," the report said.

"As a result federal information may remain at increased risk of unauthorized disclosure, loss, and modification."

The report highlighted how some organisations including NASA undervalued the importance of proper online security by stating that some government employees had refused to install encryption software.

It recommended a provision of encryption training to personnel among other suggestions after the 15 month investigation.

The report comes after recent security lapses by US government agencies. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed early last year that close to 500 of its laptops, which may have contained consumer data, had either been stolen or were missing.

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