Officials: Agency, Congress IT Security Needs Improvement
OMB and Congressional leaders this week assailed poor IT security in federal agencies and Congress. At a Congressional hearing on the issue, leaders warned that if not improved, the lax IT security could lead to serious consequences.

"The time for discussion and debate now yields to a more important requirement for action," Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., said at a hearing Tuesday. "We know that various terrorist groups are very sophisticated and [are] becoming more so each day."

"In a report last year, the Office of Management and Budget said many agency officials do not understand their IT security responsibilities. Karen Evans, OMB's e-government administrator, said at the hearing Tuesday that agency chiefs are ultimately responsible for IT defenses but that "everyone has to play a part in the cybersecurity piece."