FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on HHS Cybersecurity Audits

Original title: EXAMINATION OF THE GAO AUDIT SERIES OF HHS CYBERSECURITY

January 1, 2019

cybersecurity HHS GAO government oversight data protection

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing assesses the security of federal health data systems, which impacts the privacy and integrity of sensitive information managed by and its divisions, including the CDC.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Department of Health and Human Services

The department is required to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified by the GAO.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The agency is subject to the GAO audit findings and must implement security improvements.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to review findings from a series of Government Accountability Office () audits regarding cybersecurity at the Department of Health and Human Services (). The hearing focused on evaluating HHS's progress in addressing security vulnerabilities identified by the GAO since 2013.

Key Facts

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on June 20, 2018, to review GAO audits of HHS cybersecurity.
The GAO has conducted three separate audits of major HHS operating divisions since 2013.
The hearing aimed to evaluate HHS's response to security findings and clarify cybersecurity roles and responsibilities within the department.
Witnesses included leadership from the CDC, HHS, and the GAO.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of these GAO audits?

The audits are intended to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities within and its divisions and to track the department's progress in fixing those issues.

Who testified at this hearing?

Witnesses included the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer of the CDC, the Chief Information Officer of , and the Director of Information Security Issues at the .

Why It Matters

This hearing assesses the security of federal health data systems, which impacts the privacy and integrity of sensitive information managed by and its divisions, including the CDC.

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Long-term Oversight

The hearing highlights a multi-year oversight effort (2013-2018) regarding federal cybersecurity, indicating a sustained focus on HHS data security.

Government Accountability Office Department of Health and Human Services

Connected Entities

personGregg Harper“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations”Map →

personGreg Wilshusen“Director, Information Security Issues, GAO”Map →

organizationCenters for Disease Control and Prevention“Operating division of HHS subject to audit”Map →

personBeth Killoran“Chief Information Officer, HHS”Map →

personDiana DeGette“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

personSherri Berger“Chief Operating Officer, CDC”Map →

organizationDepartment of Health and Human Services“Subject of the cybersecurity audits”Map →

personSuzi Connor“Chief Information Officer, CDC”Map →

organizationGovernment Accountability Office“Auditor of HHS cybersecurity programs”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance60
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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