Report says U.S. cybersafety lacking

WASHINGTON, June 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's ability to fight cyberattacks on non-military computer systems is lacking on several fronts, including adequate personnel, a report said.

In a report released Wednesday, Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner said the unit tasked with monitoring cyberattacks can't force other agencies to protect their systems, is understaffed and is hindered by constant turnover, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The department's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team also withheld data from federal agencies that could have helped them confront security breaches, the report found.

The department's implementation of its flagship cybersecurity program, called Einstein, has been shaky, Skinner found. Einstein is supposed to identify possible computer system intrusions and provide agencies information to repair the breach. But it and other tools aren't collecting information fast enough to protect government systems, Skinner said. Also, Einstein hasn't been fully deployed by all non-military agencies, which means an incomplete picture of threats to government networks.

Skinner's report said US-CERT has filled 45 of 98 available positions and uses contractors to make up staffing shortages, the Journal said.

The team "does not have sufficient staff to perform its 24x7 operations," Skinner said.

Skinner's report did credit the department with progressing in addressing cyberthreats by setting up working groups with private industry and issuing bulletins and reports on emerging threats, the Journal said.