-Caveat Lector-
11/22 15:57
Deutch's Laptops Endangered U.S. Security, Pentagon Report Says
By Tony Capaccio
Washington, Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Former CIA Director John
Deutch engaged in ``egregious'' behavior endangering national
security when he used government laptops containing classified
information to access his America Online account, according to
the Pentagon's inspector general.
Deutch, who also served as deputy Defense secretary, failed to
safeguard classified information that included a daily journal he
wrote on the machines, said the inspector general's report.
``We find his conduct in this disregard particularly egregious in
light of existing Department of Defense policy directives
addressing the safeguarding of classified information,'' said the
report.
Deutch himself wrote a February 1995 memo stressing the need to
safeguard information. Deutch held the Pentagon post from March
1994 to May 1995 and served as CIA director from then until
December 1996.
Deutch's attorney Terrence O'Donnell did not return a telephone
call and an e-mail seeking comment on the report.
The Pentagon report, dated Aug. 28, was not released to the
public though it was provided to the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence and Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. A copy
was obtained by Bloomberg News.
``The evidence we obtained clearly establishes that Dr. Deutch
failed to follow even the most basic security precautions,'' said
the report. ``This situation was exacerbated because Dr.
Deutch, while serving as deputy Defense secretary, declined
department requests that he allow security systems to be
installed in his residence.''
Security Breakdown
The report also criticized a breakdown of computer security at
the highest levels of the Pentagon.
Pentagon investigators discovered that the hard drives of
Deutch's computers contained reams of potentially classified
information even after the drives were certified as clean before
being donated as surplus to Florida A&M University in July 1998.
The computers were analyzed by investigators and found to contain
unclassified Pentagon information.
``Accurate property accountability practices and procedures for
the disposition of computers were lacking within the Office of
the Secretary of Defense,'' said the report.
In response to the report, Pentagon Deputy Secretary Rudy de Leon
directed on Nov. 7 that hard drives on surplus Pentagon
computers be destroyed before the computers are sold or donated
to the public.
``This case shows once again the total lack of serious concern
for good computer/operations security in the U.S. government,''
said Richard Forno, a computer security specialist who consults
with government agencies.
``It comes down to someone in authority not following security
policy, practices or process, perhaps out of ego or ignorance,''
Forno said. ``That's a very dangerous thing for someone in
(Deutch's) position.''
Investigation
News of the report comes as the U.S. Justice Department
continues to review a recommendation that Deutch be charged with
illegally storing government secrets on home computers and lying
to a Senate committee about the security breach.
The Pentagon report supplements a CIA internal investigation that
found in February that Deutch kept a large volume of top- secret
government documents on computers that were not designed to
protect classified information.
Deutch told the CIA inspector general he wasn't aware of the
risk. But the investigation cited evidence he was briefed about
the danger in 1995 and reminded again by a computer specialist
who helped him recover lost files.
The CIA inspector general criticized agency officials for lax
handling of the investigation, including lengthy delays in
notifying both the Justice Department and Congress of the
security breach and for their failure to interview Deutch.
Macintosh Man
Deutch was issued at least seven Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh
laptops for his personal use between 1993 and 1996. He used them
to write a classified journal and temporarily store sensitive
information. They also were used to access the Internet through
Deutch's AOL account, said the report.
``Dr. Deutch's practice of using computers in this manner was
extremely risky in that a computer hacker could have gained
online access to Dr. Deutch's computer and the information stored
in temporary files on the hard drive, including the journal,''
said the Pentagon IG report.
Along with the personal information, Deutch's journal contained
classified CIA documents, including a Top Secret memo to the U.S.
president and ``Deutch's candid, often scathing, assessments of
CIA colleagues and other high government officials, including
some in the White House,'' said an article in the November issue
of Talk magazine.
Each time Deutch updated his journal before transferring the copy
to hard disks or personalized memory cards, the computer
automatically created a temporary file that would be stored on
the hard drive.
``Therefore, it is feasible that a computer hacker could have
gained access to Dr. Deutch's computer and the information stored
in temporary files on the hard drive, including the journal,''
the Pentagon IG report said.
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