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NASA vulnerable to hackers from within

by on16 October 2009

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Too much system “phones home”


NASA
computers are vulnerable to hackers and lacking basic safeguards against abuse from employees and contractors, according to a US congressional report.

The Government Accountability Office report with the catchy title, "Information Security: NASA Needs to Remedy Vulnerabilities in Key Networks." found that, even though NASA is the single most hacked agency in federal government, the agency has yet to become a hardened target.

Basic password protections were not followed on NASA's computers, and rather elementary checks and tests for vulnerabilities are not performed adequately. The reason for these weaknesses was that NASA had not yet fully implemented key elements of its information security program. Highly sensitive personal, scientific, and other data were at an increased risk of unauthorised use, modification, or disclosure, the report said.

NASA agreed wit the report findings but said that reforms were already under way before this report was issued.
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