Education Dept. Must Improve Data Security in Student-Aid Systems, Report Says

An audit of the U.S. Department of Education’s information systems for managing the federal student-aid programs is calling for increased security, saying several vulnerabilities could compromise the confidentiality and availability of financial and personal data in the systems. The report, by the department’s Office of Inspector General, gives no indication that the flaws have led to a security breach, but it says the department needs to improve security controls over the certification and accreditation process for the systems.