We’re paying the price for lax cybersecurity

Regarding the June 13 front-page article “Hack compromised security clearances”:

The ever-expanding and outrageous breaches, reportedly by the Chinese, of government databases are indefensible. Soon we will most likely hear officials stating how “outdated” and “underfunded” government computer systems are at the crux of the problem. This may seem normal or acceptable. For people who work in information technology, the excuses will again be ridiculous.

Companies for which I have worked hire outside, specialized security companies to perform penetration testing and vulnerability scanning in our computer systems. This gives us a chance to find and correct potential problems before our enemies do.

How strongly are our government computer systems tested in this manner? Why are the people we choose for this crucial task apparently unable to match or exceed the abilities of Chinese or other foreign individuals and governments? What other critical government databases are just waiting for their “secure” data to be sucked up? It seems clear that our government has been too lax for too long, and now we are paying a heavy price. It is time for specific actions, not idle words, from those whose job it is to protect sensitive U.S. data.

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