Senators Ask State Dept for Update on Multifactor Authentication Implementation

A group of five senators has asked the State Department to state the actions it has implemented to address the underutilization of multifactor authentication for accounts with “elevated privileges.”

The lawmakers said Tuesday in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that they want to know the measures adopted by the department to address the “high-risk” status the Office of Management and Budget gave to its cyber readiness efforts.

The department should also provide the Senate with statistics about attempted and successful cyber attacks against the agency’s overseas systems by Oct. 12.

The senators made the inquiry after the General Services Administration’s 2018 federal cybersecurity assessment found that only 11 percent of the State Department’s required devices were equipped with “enhanced access controls.”

The letter was signed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).