U.S. Government Accountability Office - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• US sounds alarm on hacking of passenger jets, air traffic control

  Millions of air passengers could be at risk if more isn't done to prevent hackers targeting aircraft and air traffic control systems, the U.S. government said on Tuesday.

• Auditor: Healthcare.gov still lacks some basic security controls

  Healthcare.gov lacks several basic cybersecurity controls -- including strong passwords and consistent security patching -- nearly a year after the troubled launch of the insurance-shopping website, a government auditor said.

• US NTIA's plan to end ICANN contract puts Internet freedom at risk, critics say

  The freedom and openness of the Internet are at stake after the U.S. government announced plans to end its contractual oversight of ICANN, some critics said Thursday.

• US plan to end ICANN oversight could lead to 'Net censorship, lawmakers say

  A U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration plan to end its formal relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers could open the door to Internet censorship by China, Russia or Iran, some U.S. lawmakers said.

• Use of H-1B alternative skyrockets

  In 2008, the U.S. government changed the rules on student visas and allowed foreign STEM students to work in the U.S. for up to to 29 months without an H-1B visa. The program quickly grew in popularity.

• GAO: Gov't funded broadband benefits small businesses

  Government-funded broadband projects have led to higher speeds and lower prices for U.S. small businesses, despite opposition from some in Congress, according to an auditor's report.

• Republicans hammer HHS secretary for HealthCare.gov issues

  Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ignored multiple auditor reports warning them of potential problems at insurance-shopping website HealthCare.gov before the site's launch Oct. 1, one Republican senator said Wednesday.

• US agencies can't track savings from data center closings

  The U.S. government's effort to close 1,253 of its data centers is falling short of its goal, and agencies haven't been able to track projected cost savings for the initiative, a government auditor told lawmakers.

• Military IT projects wracked with delays, increased costs, GAO finds

  A U.S. government watchdog agency has found that nearly half of 14 large ongoing military IT projects are over budget and more than half are behind schedule.

• Lawmakers look to reduce waste in US government IT contracts

  U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday urged government officials to clamp down on bad IT contracts and limit duplication across projects, with an estimated one quarter of federal spending on IT wasted every year.

• GAO report: DHS data mining needs privacy oversight

  Data-mining programs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are not fully reviewed by the agency for their effectiveness and, in some cases, for their compliance with privacy protection mandates, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.