In yet another disturbing announcement, Los Alamos National
Laboratory has inadequate control over its computers with
classified information, according to a Department of Energy audit
released Monday.
The nuclear weapons lab ““ which is managed by the
University of California ““ could not account for all
classified computers and did not report all thefts or
purchases.
“We determined that controls over classified and
unclassified laptop computers at Los Alamos were inadequate,”
said DOE Inspector General Gregory Friedman.
But Los Alamos officials say there have not been any problems
with computers that store classified information.
“My computer security people tell me we have maintained
strict and full accountability for all of our classified
computers,” said Jim Fallin, press aide for Los Alamos.
The audit comes two days before Secretary of Energy Spencer
Abraham is expected to make his decision about the future of the
UC’s lab management contract.
The UC has managed operations at Los Alamos since it was founded
in 1943, but Abraham may decide to place the contract up for
competitive bids on Wednesday in response to reports of UC
mismanagement.
The UC Regents have a standing policy of not vying for the lab
contract if their management is challenged, but President Richard
Atkinson said at a celebration of the lab’s 60th anniversary
last week that his instinct would be to compete for the bid.
The audit is one result of multiple federal investigations into
accusations of fraud, mismanagement and a possible cover-up by lab
management.
While this report said Los Alamos did not fully account for all
classified computers, Fallin said it’s because there was no
“common understanding” regarding how computers should
be labeled.
As a result, the two agencies had different lists of classified
computers. The Energy Department’s audit described the
lab’s list of classified computers as inaccurate.
The Department of Energy claims the lab used four laptop
computers to process classified information without properly
securing them beforehand.
Along with the concerns over classified computers, the audit
reported that 22 laptops were written off the lab’s inventory
without a formal inquiry and three thefts went unreported.
Approximately 762 computers bought in fiscal years 2001 and 2002
did not contain property numbers, so they could not be tracked in
the audit.
Fallin said the concerns over property management were raised in
previous audits that have been released since January.
The lab addressed those concerns when they were first brought up
and has improved its property controls, he said.
The university has worked with the lab, trying to improve
management procedures.
UC President Richard Atkinson is expected to testify before
Congress Thursday morning regarding the university’s
management of the lab in recent months.
It would be the first time Atkinson has testified before
Congress on this subject.
Bruce Darling, the UC’s interim vice president of
university management, testified in the first two Congressional
hearings regarding the UC’s management of Los Alamos.