Poor security provisions, 'lax culture' leave US govt agencies susceptible to hack attacks

Despite a dozen mass breaches of government computer systems since 2013, many federal agencies have a "lax culture" and poor security provisions to repulse the growing threat posed by hackers and cyber attacks from states such as China, Russia and Iran, internal investigative reports said.

Internal inspectors general from the State Department to the Transportation Department have flagged widespread vulnerabilities over the past few months but they have gone unheeded, reported The Washington Times.

Paul Rosenzweig, a former Homeland Security policy aide and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said that the U.S. government hasn't done much more than the private industry to shield itself from the growing threat of cyberwarfare.

The foundation identified at least 23 publicly disclosed computer system breaches at federal agencies in a report released recently. Experts said that the actual number is likely to be higher.

The U.S. State Department, U.S. Postal Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the White House have all been victims of hack attacks in the recent months.

A report prepared by the State Department's inspector general identified 62 unresolved recommendations to make improvements, including 29 that date from at least 2013.