Information Security:
Software Change Controls at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
AIMD-00-196R: Published: Jun 30, 2000. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 2000.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
(202) 512-6253
contact@gao.gov
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) software change controls, focusing on: (1) whether key controls as described in agency policies and procedures regarding software change authorization, testing, and approval complied with federal guidance; and (2) the extent to which agencies contracted for year 2000 remediation of mission-critical systems and involved foreign nationals in these efforts.
GAO noted that: (1) NASA does not have a formally documented agency-level software change control policy; (2) development and implementation of software change policies and procedures are the responsibility of each component; (3) according to the NASA official, the components used their routine software change control processes for year 2000 remediation; (4) however, GAO was not provided copies of these component policies to make comparisons to federal guidance; (5) instead, the agency official provided GAO with a written explanation of software change practices at NASA components; (6) based on GAO's interview, the agency official was not familiar with contractor practices for software management; (7) this is of potential concern because contractors performed remediation of all 156 mission-critical systems; (8) for example, one contract was with a foreign-owned company that also hired foreign nationals; (9) in addition, source code for two systems was transmitted to contractor facilities, one of which was a foreign-owned facility that received source code for administrative systems; and (10) the NASA official provided no details regarding protective controls over the source code when the code was out of the agency's direct control.
Oct 9, 2020
-
Aviation Cybersecurity:
FAA Should Fully Implement Key Practices to Strengthen Its Oversight of Avionics RisksGAO-21-86: Published: Oct 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 9, 2020.
Sep 22, 2020
-
Cybersecurity:
Clarity of Leadership Urgently Needed to Fully Implement the National StrategyGAO-20-629: Published: Sep 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 22, 2020.
Sep 21, 2020
-
Information Security and Privacy:
HUD Needs a Major Effort to Protect Data Shared with External EntitiesGAO-20-431: Published: Sep 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 21, 2020.
Sep 17, 2020
-
Critical Infrastructure Protection:
Treasury Needs to Improve Tracking of Financial Sector Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation EffortsGAO-20-631: Published: Sep 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 17, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
-
Veterans Affairs:
VA Needs to Address Persistent IT Modernization and Cybersecurity ChallengesGAO-20-719T: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Aug 18, 2020
-
Cybersecurity:
DHS and Selected Agencies Need to Address Shortcomings in Implementation of Network Monitoring ProgramGAO-20-598: Published: Aug 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 18, 2020.
May 27, 2020
-
Cybersecurity:
Selected Federal Agencies Need to Coordinate on Requirements and Assessments of StatesGAO-20-123: Published: May 27, 2020. Publicly Released: May 27, 2020.
May 13, 2020
-
Management Report:
Improvements Are Needed to Enhance the Internal Revenue Service's Information System Security ControlsGAO-20-411R: Published: May 13, 2020. Publicly Released: May 13, 2020.
Apr 24, 2020
-
Information Security:
FCC Made Significant Progress, but Needs to Address Remaining Control Deficiencies and Improve Its ProgramGAO-20-265: Published: Mar 25, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 24, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
-
Cybersecurity:
DOD Needs to Take Decisive Actions to Improve Cyber HygieneGAO-20-241: Published: Apr 13, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here