Security Spotlight Shines on Los Alamos

Los Alamos National Lab, which has been periodically hitting the news since an episode of missing disks in 2004 turned up underlying security problems, is once again under fire from the Project on Government Oversight.

In a recent note, the watchdog group, which has made Los Alamos a pet project, highlighted ongoing security problems at the nuclear research facility, claiming that a "record number" of security breaches occurred at the site between June 2006 and June 2007.

"The number and magnitude of these occurrences calls into question the effectiveness of the University of California and Bechtel management team," POGO's statement said, piling yet more woe on the birthplace of the atomic bomb.

POGO claims to have received a lab presentation which reveals that in July and August this year, Los Alamos found 43 improperly secured items such as removable media, documents, and vaults. The lab also suffered 19 potential unauthorized disclosures of information, most of which were email-related, according to the watchdog.

That's not good news for Los Alamos, whose security problems have made it a poster child for ineffective data protection.Apparently, at least some efforts to fix the site's problems aren't up to par either, POGO says. "Can you believe one of the new security measures touted in the presentation was the use of stop and go hand signals for guards posted at vehicle entrances?" wrote POGO's executive director Danielle Brian, in a written statement. "It hurts too much to laugh."

Los Alamos spokesman Kevin Roark told Byte and Switch that POGO has taken information out of context.

"Safety and security is demonstrably improving," he wrote in an email earlier today, explaining that the lab has reduced its average of serious security incidents from 1.83 per month in November 2006 to 0.75 per month today.

The lab has also slashed the amount of removable media it holds from 12,000 this time last year, to 4,350 today.

The lower level of overall holdings, combined with continuously improved processes and newly consolidated facilities contribute significantly to the Laboratory's ability to more rigorously and reliably manage classified information and materials," wrote Roark.Still, .75 security incidents per month tallies up to nine annually at one of the world's top U.S. defense research facilities. Hmmm...

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