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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016 Audit: Agencies still face IT security vulnerabilities By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Longstanding information technology secu- rity weaknesses continue at several state government agen- cies, according to a state audit released Wednesday. The Secretary of State’s Office, after spending a year auditing 13 state agencies for information technology secu- rity, warned in a report that the failure of the state to implement changes increased the risk of a “security incident.” “Overall, planning efforts were often perfunctory, secu- rity staffing was generally insufficient, and critical secu- rity functions were not always performed,” the audit states. “These weaknesses collectively increase the risk of a security incident at one or more of the agencies.” Citing the “sensitive nature of security,” the office sent con- fidential letters detailing spe- cific security concerns to each agency. The 13 agencies selected represent a cross section of state government, according to the audit. They varied in size and type and include several agencies that maintain sensitive personal data, such as the Ore- gon Health Authority and the Oregon State Police. All of the agencies the audit scrutinized fared poorly when it came to managing user accounts to ensure no unautho- rized users had access to inter- nal information; and all agen- cies had issues with “patching,” or fixes to remedy the vulnera- bility of operating systems and software to viruses or hack- ing. Anti-virus software was missing or outdated at some agencies. The audit also found weak- nesses in security awareness training and network security. Auditors also found that the state’s chief information officer hasn’t given agencies adequate standards and oversight, and doesn’t have processes in place to ensure compliance with state standards and federal security requirements. Alex Pettit, the chief infor- mation officer, largely agreed with the audit’s findings. Pettit, in a letter released with the audit Wednesday, identified some ways the office is trying to address the issues. For example, it is continuing to develop by mid-2017 a pro- gram to regularly scan most agencies and to provide new training on security issue for state employees. The office is also work- ing on a risk assessment, fol- lowed by an “enterprise secu- rity plan,” both of which the office expects to be complete Pearson: Current library presents challenges Continued from Page 1A how to allocate that amount next fiscal year. ‘Freedom to read’ A former senior librarian at the Denver Public Library System, Pearson replaced Jane Tucker, who served as the Astoria library director for 17 years. He moved to Astoria with his wife, daughter and cat. In conversations with patrons, Pearson has been try- ing to take the emphasis off the physical structure and put it on what the library can do for Astoria. “What I am doing is focus- ing on getting to know my staff — which are awesome — and I’m focusing on the services that we provide,” he said. Soon, he will implement a software program for the library’s computers — an auto- mated reservation system — that will streamline sign-ups and eliminate the need for staff to get involved in the process. “We spend a lot of time man- aging the computers,” he said. And he is exploring the option to install a printer that works like a vending machine, allowing people to pay and print out pages without staff retrieving and sorting through them. Though he doesn’t publicly advocate for either a remodel or a relocation, Pearson acknowledges that the current library presents challenges. One of the them, he said, is the lack of federal Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act-ac- cess and how it limits what he calls the “freedom to read” for people who cannot get to the mezzanine. Say, for example, that someone in a wheelchair wants to read a NASCAR romance novel (yes, that is a thing) and doesn’t want others to know about it. This person would have to ask staff for it because he or she cannot climb the stairs. This is an accessibil- ity issue, but it is also a pri- vacy issue, Pearson believes, because “everyone should have the freedom to read what- ever they want without inter- ference,” he said. A library remodel would have to correct the ADA issue, which would then take care of the privacy issue, he said. Library as lifeline A former Army medic who retired from the military in 2012, Pearson once worked at Texas Children’s Hospi- tal in Houston, in the inten- sive care unit, as an operations manager. “Even though I’ve seen trauma and dealt with trauma, I’m not the person that’s going to be able to sit and watch kids die every day,” he said. So he got a job working in a local library, “and it just fit,” he said. “It’s like, I had walked in the doors, and I knew that was it.” Though he already had a master’s degree in public administration, he earned a W A NTED T H R U 18 Fridays & Saturdays | 7pm Sundays Dec. 11th & 18th | 2pm TICKETS $8-$15 All Fridays are only $5 admission! F OR TICKETS : www.astorstreetoprycompany.com or call 5 03-325-6104 Recount: State law required hand recount Continued from Page 1A Ackley said, “It was a very tight race, and I know that Ryan is going to do great things on the Planning Commission. I think we’ve got a well-rounded group on both commissions.” The recount ended sev- eral weeks of uncertainty in the Position 1 race. At the close of Election Day, Lampi had a one-vote lead over Ackley: 1,079 to 1,078. But, as additional ballots deposited in other counties came in, the lead switched, putting Ackley five votes ahead of Lampi, 1,119 to 1,114. When amended results showed her continuing to lead by five votes — this time 1,120 to 1,115 — the razor-thin mar- gin triggered an automatic hand recount. State law requires hand recounts of ballots when the difference between candidates falls within one-fifth of 1 per- cent of ballots cast. Ackley, who was appointed to fill a vacancy last year, returns to a City Commission led by Mayor Mark Kujala and commissioners Henry Balen- sifer, Tom Dyer and Rick New- ton. Balensifer and Dyer ran unopposed in the election. The commission is con- fronting a host of crucial issues, which include adjusting the development code to encour- age housing growth; resolving the Eighth Street Dam property dispute between the city and the Skipanon Water Control Dis- trict; and challenging the Fed- eral Emergency Management Agency’s preliminary flood maps that may exaggerate the flood risk along the waterfront and jack up insurance rates. First Lutheran Church ual Holiday Bazaa n n r A and Bake Sale Saturday December 3 rd 9AM-2 PM 725 33rd St Astoria ASOC PLAYHOUSE 129 W. BOND ST ASTORIA Directed by: BILL CARR Music Director: CHRISLYNN TAYLOR Produced with special permission by: JUDITH NILAND Sponsored by NW NATURAL A S O C c an hos t y our C hris tm as party at a s how . C all C hrislynn to schedule or to inquire at 503-325-6104 Please call or leave message by Friday so we know to expect you! DEBBIE D’S Jerky & Sausage Factory 2210 Main Avenue N. • Tillamook, OR • 503-842-2622 H OLIDAY B OOK S ALE S C R O O G E D IN A ST O R IA 2 MIAMI — Princess Cruise Lines will pay a $40 million penalty after pleading guilty to seven federal charges in an illegal ocean pollution case that involved one ship’s use of a so-called magic pipe to divert oily waste into the waters, engineer aboard the Carib- bean Princess discovered the “magic pipe” in 2013 off the coast of Great Britain and told investigators about it. Authori- ties later learned the 952-foot ship had been illegally dis- charging oily water into the ocean since 2005. The 17-ship Princess line is based in Santa Clarita, Califor- nia. Three ships in the line — the Crown Princess, the Coral Princess and the Star Princess — stopped in Astoria this year. 20 lb. min • Each batch individual 2016 T H By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press authorities said Thursday. Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer told a news conference the penalty is the largest ever of its kind. A plea agreement filed in fed- eral court also requires Car- nival Corp., parent company of the Princess line, to submit 78 cruise ships across its eight brands to a five-year environ- mental compliance program overseen by a judge. Ferrer said the illegal prac- tices came to light when an Debbie D’s will be at Cash & Carry in Warrenton at 10:00 a.m. every Saturday to pick up and deliver meat for processing. N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A ND One ship had a ‘magic pipe’ GAME MEAT PROCESSING Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 rotation agreement. Those employees in rotation will continue to be compen- sated by their respective agen- cies, according to the order. “Ultimately, the governor, the OSCIO agency directors, and the Legislature must coop- erate to create, fund, endorse and implement a statewide security plan,” the audit states. The CIO has also worked to update its standards, and Pettit said in his letter that his office will identify “critical resource gaps” to bring to the attention of the governor and Legislature. The Capital Bureau is a col- laboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Carnival’s Princess pays $40 million fine for sea waste second master’s in informa- tion science. When he gradu- ated, he worked at a children’s library in an inner city library in Houston then rose through the field. At the many locations he’s managed, he has told his staff: “We never know that moment, that interaction, that’s going to make the difference in that per- son’s (life).” When he applied for the Astoria position, he was man- aging the third-largest library in Denver, a site that saw hundreds of kids arrive after school. “If you’re just saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ Or, ‘How did your day go?’ that may be the only positive interaction they have in their day,” he said. “They may be the kid that gets picked on. They may be the kid the teachers don’t like. They may be having problems at home or whatever. “But you just say, ‘Hey, how are you?’ and ‘How was your day?’ That could be it. That could be the kid’s moment that keeps them from going down a path that they shouldn’t go down, or gives them some- body to look forward to seeing in the afternoon.” It’s these kinds of connec- tions — the ones that can turn a library into a lifeline — that excite Pearson. And they can happen in any library building, old or new, he said. Whatever becomes of the library, Pearson said, “I love being a librarian, and I love being the director for Astoria.” Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber D E C E M BE R by next summer. Auditors noted it will take money and perseverance to address security concerns at state agencies. The audit noted that more work is also needed to meet the requirements of Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order in September to consolidate the state’s IT security functions under the CIO’s umbrella. Brown’s order did not allo- cate more staff to the CIO, according to the audit, although IT security staff from all state agencies not led by an inde- pendently elected official or part of the public university system were to be assigned to the CIO through a job 2 G REAT B OOKS O NE L OW P RICE A storia B a n d B oosters C A N & B OTTL E D R IVE H A S BE E N P O STP O N E D U N TIL 1 P .M . - 3 P .M . • S UND A Y , D EC . 11 TH Sale A T A S TOR IA HIGH S C HOOL 25 $ P s* f Astorians Eccentric & Extraordinary $ 12 95 e Pric oth or b title Th e Ban d Boosters are th e on ly sou rc e of fu n d s to k eep A storia’s sc h ool b an d program s fu n c tion in g, provid in g in stru m en ts, u n iform s, equ ipm en t, m u sic , tran sportation — everyth in g b esid es th e b an d d irec tor’s salary. P lease h elp b y d roppin g off you r em pties or m ak in g a d on ation . 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