| July 2000 |
ORNL’s I&E occurred during a period of focused national attention on the Department’s security measures. The I&E team did cite concerns, mainly involving the Laboratory’s unclassified cyber security and its foreign national visits and assignments programs.
“These concerns will lead to some changes in the way we do business in these areas,” Rich says. “For one, the I&E team took issue with the breadth of our cyber security risk assessment process and access afforded to unclassified sensitive information through our computing systems.
“Also, the team focused heavily on the protective measures in place to assure that our foreign visitors and guest assignees do not have unimpeded access to unclassified sensitive information while visiting or assigned to ORNL without the requisite ‘need to know’ this information.
“As a result, we anticipate further modifications of our foreign national security plans.”
In a message to managers, ORNL Deputy Director for Operations Jeff Smith thanked Lab staff members for their support for security efforts and echoed Rich’s message that there is work to do.
“The completion of the Safeguards and Security I&E does not mark the end of our efforts in the safeguard and security area,” Smith said. “The DOE Safeguards and Security I&E team has left a number of recommendations designed to correct gaps we have identified in our current program. Over the coming months, your support will be needed to bring about these improve-ments.”—B.C.
I&E ‘satisfactory’; there’s work to do
ORNL received an overall “satisfactory” rating from last month’s two-week Safeguards and Security Inspection and Evaluation (I&E). Security Manager Bill Rich reports the rating was applied to protection program management, physical security systems, information security, classified cyber security, the personnel security assurance program and the protective force.