US-VISIT flaws put data at risk
Security weaknesses in the Customs and Border Protection agency’s U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program put sensitive personal information at risk, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Problems include poor identification and authentication practices, insufficient access limits, bad network and physical security, inconsistent encryption, and inadequate logging and user accountability, GAO said.

Input downplays Alliant prospects
While the 29 contractors that earned spots on the Alliant governmentwide acquisition contract celebrate their wins, research firm Input Inc. has poured cold water on the party.

The General Services Administration set a ceiling of $50 billion for the 10-year contract, but Input analysts believe that it will generate far less business. Many agencies will prefer to stick with their own contracts rather than use the GSA vehicle, Input predicted.

Sentinel on track, more or less
The FBI has solved many of the problems that caused its Virtual Case File system to fail, but its management of the six-year, $305 million Sentinel contract falls short in other areas, the Government Accountability Office said.

Sentinel cost and schedule estimates are unreliable, and the bureau’s oversight of its support contractors is inadequate, GAO said.

Sentinel replaced the VCF program, a $170 million fiasco that the bureau ended in March 2005.

EDS HSPD-12 contract upheld
The Government Accountability Office denied two protests by unsuccessful bidders on a $66 million secure identification card contract that was awarded to EDS Corp.

Under the General Services Administration’s Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 Managed Service Office contract, EDS will deploy 225 fixed and mobile HSPD-12 enrollment stations nationwide for at least 500,000 federal employees and contractors at more than 42 agencies.

DHS fine-tunes screening system
In response to 641 public comments, the Homeland Security Department has announced that it will cut to 15 years the amount of time it will retain travelers’ personal information, among other changes to its Automated Targeting System.

Under ATS, information on U.S. and foreign travelers and cargo bound for the United States is assessed against several terrorist threat databases. DHS originally planned to hold the data for 40 years.