A screen capture of the VA’s eBenefits web page taken on Jan. 17, two days after veterans reported a potential privacy breach.VA investigates eBenefits privacy breach, website down
January 17, 2014 · 3:43 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs is investigating a problem with the joint VA-Defense Department eBenefits system after several veterans reported being able to see the personal information belonging to other veterans when they logged into the system. As of 3 p.m. ET, the eBenefits Web portal was offline, instructing veterans experiencing a medical emergency or in need of immediate crisis counseling to go to their nearest emergency room or to call 9-1-1. An internal VA memo from the Corporate Data Center Operations in Austin, Texas, obtained by FedScoop, said the incident occurred Jan. 15 at 10 p.m. ET when 20 veterans called the VA help desk complaining the eBenefits system had presented them with information belonging to other veterans.
VA CIO lays out 2014 cybersecurity priorities amid challenges
January 09, 2014 · 4:43 pm An internal memo from Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Information Officer Stephen Warren, obtained exclusively by FedScoop, reveals the agency’s top cybersecurity priorities for 2014 based on what agency managers said are the areas in need of most attention. In a Dec. 30 memo to all employees of the VA’s Office of Information and Technology, Warren urged the agency’s IT managers to “remain relentless” in their efforts to improve VA IT processes and data security. Beginning this month and running through April, Warren has asked OIT staff to focus on four key areas: system baseline practices and procedures; configuration management; patch management; and elevated privilege review.
Donald Modder has been named the new Chief of Staff at VA’s Office of Information Security. (Photo: LinkedIn)Leadership changes at VA’s cybersecurity office
November 15, 2013 · 3:26 pm Don Sheehan, the longtime director of business continuity at the Department of Veterans Affairs, left the agency Nov. 8 for a position in the private sector, FedScoop has learned. Sheehan, who joined the VA’s Office of Information Security in 2003, is credited with successfully leading the VA’s emergency response to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and is considered to have been “a driving force” in the creation of the VA Trusted Internet Connection gateways, according to an email obtained by FedScoop from deputy assistant secretary for OIS, Stanley Lowe. Lowe also announced Donald Modder has taken over as the new chief of staff for OIS. Modder is a former program manager for product development at VA.
