In a Nov. 29 memo, the new OMB director, Jacob Lew, directed each federal department and agency to create an information security assessment team “consisting of counterintelligence, security, and information assurance experts to review the agency’s implementation of procedures for safeguarding classified information against improper disclosures”.
Lew said the review should include “evaluation of the agency’s configuration of classified governement systems to ensure that users do not have broader access than is necessary to do their jobs effectively, as well as implementation of restrictions on usage of, and removable media capabilities from, classified government computer networks”.
In addition, OMB, the National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will monitor the agencies’ compliance with this information security directive, although no deadlines were set for implementation.
“Our national defense requires that sensitive information be maintained in confidence to protect our citizens, our democratic institutions, and our homeland. Protecting information critical to our nation’s security is the responsibility of each individual who is granted access to classified information. Any unauthorized disclosure of classified information is a violation of our law and compromises our national security”, Lew stressed.