Federal Reports

The Office of the Inspector General audited TVA’s information systems categorization process to determine if TVA’s information systems categorization process was effective and in compliance with Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 199 and National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication (NIST SP) 800-60. We determined that portions of TVA’s process were effective. However, we found gaps with implementing NIST SP 800-60 guidance. TVA management agreed with our findings and recommendations.

The Office of Inspector General conducted a follow‐up audit evaluating NASA’s process for transferring Agency‐developed technology to the commercial sector.

We identified actions that Washington has taken, using Federal funds for improving prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), to achieve program goals toward improving safe prescribing practices and preventing prescription drug abuse and misuse. As of July 2018, Washington had completed some of the activities it proposed for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant to enhance and maximize its PDMP. Specifically, of the 11 activities proposed for the audit period (March 1, 2016, through August 31, 2017), 6 were completed, and the remaining 5 were partially completed.

Overall, the Department continues to implement changes to strengthen its enterprise-wide information security program. We identified opportunities where the Department can strengthen their overall information security program. The Department continues to work toward implementing a Department-wide Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program with the Department of Homeland Security. This should help the Department achieve a higher level of maturity for its information security program in subsequent years. Additionally, we identified weaknesses in the following areas: risk management, configuration management, identity and access management, data protection and privacy, security training, information security continuous monitoring, incident response, and contingency planning. The Department needs to ensure that all operating divisions consistently review and remediate or address the risk presented by vulnerabilities discovered, consistently implement account management procedures, and accurately track systems to ensure they are operating with a current and valid Authority to Operate. Additionally, the Department should focus on configuring recently deployed continuous diagnostic monitoring tools to automate the integration of cyber risks into newly developed enterprise risk management programs. These steps will strengthen the information security program and further enhance its mission.