WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Major US government reorganizations pose critical threats to cybersecurity of federal agencies and departments, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said.
"[O]ne high-risk area is securing cyber critical infrastructure and federal information systems and protecting the privacy of personally identifiable information," the report, issued on Wednesday, said.
Safeguarding the systems that support critical infrastructures in the US government is a continuing concern, the GAO said.
"Given the National Protection and Programs Directorate's (NPPD) current cybersecurity activities, addressing these concerns in any reorganization effort would be critical," the report stated.
"Sustained attention to this function is vitally important," the GAO emphasized.
The NPPD is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component responsible for addressing physical and cyberinfrastructure protection, the report stated.
It described this role as "a mission area of critical importance in today's threat environment."
Critical infrastructure owners and operators continue to experience increasingly sophisticated cyber intrusions, the GAO observed.
"‘[A] cyber-physical convergence’ has changed the risks to critical infrastructure ranging from energy and transportation to agriculture and health care, according to a DHS strategic review," the report noted.
The US Government Accountability Office is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer money.
