Interior Secretary Gale Norton is blocking the release of an internal report that details vulnerabilities to computer systems housing Indian trust data.

In an April 8 filing, [PDF] Norton's lawyers disclosed that the Inspector General issued a report citing the "poor state of network security" and "weak access controls" on "many systems." "[I]t is safe to say that we could have easily compromised the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the identified Indian Trust data residing on those systems," the report said.

The report has prompted the Bureau of Land Management to shut down its website. But Norton has asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to keep it from the public and the plaintiffs in the Cobell trust fund case until a "protective order" is issued.

Get the Story:
Interior shuts down BLM Web site (Federal Computer Week 4/18)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust

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