What the Education Dept.’s Information-Security Breakdowns Really Mean
In hearings this week and last fall, members of Congress warned that the U.S. Department of Education, with its databases containing sensitive information on millions of students and parents, is a prime target of hackers. The lawmakers accused top department officials of failing to secure the agency’s vulnerable information systems. The hearings featured highly technical testimony from government investigators and department officials, along with plenty of finger-pointing and outrage from lawmakers. Yet amid all the anger and acronyms, observers may have been left wondering: Should I be worried? Here are some answers to questions you may have: What’s really at stake here?