Former officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have challenged key findings of a watchdog investigation into the cybersecurity of COVID-19 data analysis systems that was rescinded last month.
HHS’ inspector general on Aug. 24 quashed the report, which investigated the launch of COVID-19 data collection and analysis technology without authorizations to operate (ATOs) accepting relevant security risks…
Former HHS Chief Information Officer José Arrieta in an interview told FedScoop the contracts were crucial to the agency’s COVID-19 response efforts and said operation without ATO is contractually permissible as long as there is a stated period of time within which to resolve any lingering issues identified.
“The employees that worked on this did an unbelievable job securing the system within the fractured policy rules and regulations that dominate the cybersecurity marketplace, in the wake of the largest cybersecurity attack on an individual agency in the history of the nation,” Arrieta said… Read the full article here.
