Report: DOE must upgrade computer security

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- An Inspector General's report finds the U.S. Department of Energy has been dragging its feet on computer security, ABC News reported Tuesday.

Delays in upgrading security on computer systems at the department's Office of Science could be both dangerous and costly, the report said. The office is responsible for research in a number of areas and manages nuclear facilities at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., and facilities in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Los Alamos, N.M.

"Any system that is not as secure as it should be could be subject to compromise," said Rickey Hass, deputy inspector general for audit services. "There are literally thousands of people who scan systems to try to gain access."

The Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Energy reviewed the office's spending on computer security in 2008, $287 million for the year. The report said the seven field offices have not upgraded security to a high enough level.