Federal Reports

CNCS has devoted significant resources to improving cybersecurity over the past few years, with meaningful progress. Although its information security program is not yet sufficiently mature, it can reach effectiveness with continued effort and investment.Achieving effectiveness will require attention to weaknesses that pose significant risks to information security. Our 2017 evaluation found inadequacies in risk management, configuration management, identity and access management, information security continuous monitoring, and contingency planning. Enforcement of information security is inconsistent across the enterprise, with field components remaining especially vulnerable. These continuing vulnerabilities leave CNCS operations and assets at risk of unauthorized access, misuse and disruption. Our report offers 34 recommendations to address the identified weaknesses and assist CNCS in strengthening its information security program. Eight of the recommendations relate to prior findings that have not been completely addressed by CNCS.

OIG investigated transaction irregularities on a Department of the Interior purchase card assigned to an employee at Nez Perce National Historic Park, National Park Service (NPS). The questionable purchases included a $17,000 charge at a pawn shop, two tuition payments at a local university, and purchases that appeared to have been structured to circumvent the micro purchase limit.We confirmed that the employee purchased art for the park museum from a pawn shop for $17,000 and, at the direction of a supervisor, made tuition payments for other employees on the DOI purchase card. We further determined those purchases were not for private gain, but the employee did admit to structuring those purchases and others to circumvent the micro purchase limit in violation of NPS policy. Finally, we found that the employee’s two supervisors were aware of his policy violations and took no corrective action. The employee and the two supervisors have all left the Department.

Audit Report

In FY 2016, CIGIE continued to meet its mandated missions, and through this report, we present CIGIE’s accomplishments in FY 2016 reflecting our efforts in meeting our mandate. Together, the work of the OIG community resulted in significant improvements to the economy and efficiency of programs Governmentwide, with potential savings totaling approximately $45.1 billion. With the OIG community’s aggregate FY 2016 budget of approximately $2.7 billion, these potential savings represent about a $17 return on every dollar invested in the OIGs. In Background, we summarize the Council’s history and the Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016, the most recent enhancement to the Inspector General Act of 1978. We also discuss some of the accomplishments of CIGIE’s standing committees in FY 2016. Then, in Strategic Plan Business Goal Accomplishments, we describe CIGIE’s accomplishments under FY 2016’s three major strategic business goals. Next, we summarize current issues of concern to CIGIE members in Key Legislation Affecting the IG Community and Shared Management and Performance Challenges. We then offer perspective on IG Community Accomplishments and provide Contact Information for CIGIE Members. Finally, we recognize the recipients of the most noteworthy 2016 CIGIE Awards.

On January 1, 2018, an Amtrak executive retired following the release of our investigative report, which concluded that he violated company policy by accepting gifts from the owner of a company doing business with Amtrak as both a customer and vendor.