When it comes to I.T. security in the Atlanta Public Schools an independent consultant gives the system a failing grade.
With the help of a whistleblower, Channel 2 Action News secured a confidential study of the school's I.T. system and found it to be wide open for hacking and thefts. The district has refused to release the $70-thousand dollar report because of an exemption in Georgia's Open Records Law.
Devon Chalmers, a technical consultant with Delta Logix, reviewed the report and said with respect to basic I.T. 101 APS failed.
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Among his findings: APS does not have a disaster recovery program for its I.T. system; does not manage software patches or repairs available to the system; does not have one person responsible for I.T. security; and does not have sufficient controls to keep former employees out of the system.
Chalmers described the system as vulnerable with financial and student records at risk.
The report also found that the system does not keep track of its assets with values of less than $5-thousand dollars. This could include laptops, desktops, and notebook computers. If those items are not tracked, they could easily be taken from the system.
The system strongly disagreed with Mr. Chalmers' assessment and in a statement praised APS personnel as knowledgeable and skilled and said the system is effectively mitigating risks. The statement did acknowledge some of the report’s findings and said appropriate actions have been initiated in response.