Reply #11: A Federal Case: Agencies Fail IT Security Test

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If consistency were the goal, the federal government would score high in complying with computer security requirements—year after year Washington performs consistently poorly.

On the 2005 report card issued March 16, the government earned a D+, with agencies responsible for keeping the nation safe receiving some of the lowest grades: The Department of Homeland Security earned an F, the Department of Defense an F, and the Department of Justice a D.

"The agencies on the front line in the war on terror remained unacceptably low or dropped precipitously," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, which reviewed the grades sent to Congress.

The ratings are meant to show how well agencies meet the mandates of the Federal Information Security Management Act, which sets forth security standards as well as operational and reporting requirements.

Eight agencies failed the FISMA test in 2005, including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, State, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, but committee members took the information officers of DOD and DHS, in particular, to task for failing to show significant improvements over the last year.
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