http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/5741689.htm By Andrea Widener CONTRA COSTA TIMES April 29, 2003 In another blow to a flailing lab, the Energy Department's inspector general said Monday that Los Alamos Laboratory failed to properly track thousands of laptop and desktop computers, including several with classified information. The finding is just the most recent report of accounting irregularities, purchasing system defects and business system failures since last fall, when the New Mexico weapons lab's problems came to light because of two fired whistleblowers. Their claims have led to dozens of internal and external reviews that will culminate this week with a decision on the lab's future. On Wednesday, the DOE will announce if the University of California will lose its contract to run the lab. There is no way to know how the new inspector general's report will factor into the DOE's decision, to be followed Thursday by a House hearing on UC management. The contract could be taken away at once or, more likely, officials will tell UC it must compete to continue running the lab when its current contract expires in September 2005. It would be the first time UC has had to compete to run Los Alamos, or its sister lab, Lawrence Livermore, in 60 years. While not alleging that classified information was lost, the report says the lab has inadequate controls to ensure computers are safe from theft and to protect classified nuclear weapons information. "We do not believe that Los Alamos can provide adequate assurance that classified, sensitive or proprietary information is appropriately protected," wrote Gregory Friedman, the inspector general. Lab officials said classified information was not compromised. Lab security experts will use the report to correct known accounting errors. "They feel very, very confident that we have maintained full accountability" of classified information, said lab spokesman Jim Fallin. "We know what our responsibilities are. We take this report very seriously." This is the sixth Los Alamos-focused report from the DOE inspector general this year. Spokeswoman Wilma Slaughter said the reports come out of a comprehensive review of Los Alamos initiated by the watchdog agency; several have been specifically requested by National Nuclear Security Administration leaders. The most recent findings show the lab couldn't account for all laptops containing classified information. The lab sometimes wrote off lost or stolen computers, did not always report thefts to proper authorities and did not hold employees liable for lost computers. Los Alamos has 35,000 computers, 5,000 laptops and 30,000 desktop models. The audit found two computers were purchased with lab credit cards after that became against lab policy. Four classified laptops were not on the lab's secure inventory list, and others that were no longer in use remained on the list. In the previous two years, 22 laptop computers, worth $81,000 when new, were lost or stolen without an investigation taking place. Fallin said many of the computers were tracked in multiple ways, and some problems happened during transition to a new accountability system, which does not allow credit card purchases of computers and which created a new system for theft and employee accountability. The lab will look at the other issues and see whether more tracking is required, he said. Lawrence Livermore, which is likely to come under similar scrutiny, follows different procedures to account for computers, said spokesperson Susan Houghton. The lab does not allow credit card computer purchases, and all computer losses are automatically investigated. The inspector general referred findings to DOE counterintelligence officials. The nuclear security administration had no comment, except to say it would add the findings to the ongoing investigation of Los Alamos' business and property tracking practices, as well as its review of UC's management. - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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