Porn-Watching Employee Infected Government Networks With Russian Malware, IG Says - Visited 9,000 Porn Sites, Crashes Gov't Networks...
Porn-Watching Employee Infected Government Networks With Russian
Malware, IG Says
Government auditors traced a malware infection
back to a single porn-watching employee within the U.S. Geological Survey.
An Interior Department watchdog recommended the
U.S. Geological Survey ratchet up internet security protocols after discovering
its networks had been infected with malware from pornography sites.
The agency’s inspector general traced the
malicious software to a single unnamed USGS employee, who reportedly used a
government-issued computer to visit some 9,000 adult video sites, according to a report published
Oct. 17.
Many of the prohibited pages were linked to
Russian websites containing malware, which was ultimately downloaded to the
employee’s computer and used to infiltrate USGS networks, auditors found. The
investigation found the employee saved much of the pornographic material on an
unauthorized USB drive and personal Android cellphone, both of which were
connected to their computer against agency protocols.
The employee’s cell phone was also infected
with malware.
“Our digital forensic examination revealed that
[the employee] had an extensive history of visiting adult pornography websites”
that hosted malware, the IG wrote. “The malware was downloaded to [the
employee’s] government laptop, which then exploited the USGS’ network.”
The department’s rules of behavior explicitly
prohibit employees from using government networks for viewing pornography and
other inappropriate activities, and the IG found the employee had agreed to
these rules “several years prior to detection.” The employee no longer works at
the agency, OIG External Affairs Director Nancy DiPaolo told Nextgov.
Auditors recommended USGS more closely monitor
employees’ web browsing and enforce blacklists of prohibited websites. They
said proactively identifying and blocking adult websites “will likely enhance
preventative countermeasures.”
They also advised the agency to strengthen its
IT security policies to stop employees from connecting personal devices to
government computers, which could propagate malware on federal networks. USGS
guidelines currently prohibit employees from doing so, but the agency hasn’t
disabled such connections on government-issued devices.
This isn’t the first time federal employees
have been caught browsing explicit content at the workplace.
Over the last 15 years, similar scandals have
enveloped the Environmental Protection Agency, Securities and Exchange Commission and IRS. Last year, a
D.C.-area news network uncovered “egregious on-the-job pornography
viewing” at a dozen federal agencies and national security officials
have reportedly found an “unbelievable” amount of child pornography on
government devices.
The problem is so prevalent that Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.,
has introduced legislation banning pornography
at federal agencies three different times.
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