INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
USGS is a government agency that performs analysis of the country's landscape
(Representational)A federal employee infected a U.S
government network with malware after viewing more than 9,000 pornographic webpages at work, according to an inspector general's report.The
17, shows that the employee's actions were discovered during a security audit of the computer network at the U.S
The employee had an "extensive history of visiting adult pornography websites" on a work computer, many of which were Russian and contained
malware that spread to the USGS network.The USGS is a government agency that performs analysis of the country's landscape and seeks to
recognize hazards that may threaten natural resources.The employee, who was not named in the report, saved many of the pornographic images
onto an unauthorized USB device and a personal cellphone - which was also found to contain malware
The Android phone was connected to the employee's government-issued computer, according to the report.Now, the Office of Inspector General
is recommending that the USGS enforce a "strong blacklist policy" of "rogue" web domains and more closely monitor its employees' internet
usage."An ongoing effort to detect and block known pornographic websites, and websites with suspicious origins, will likely enhance
preventive countermeasures," the report reads
The inspector general also suggested that the USGS enact a security policy that would restrict usage of unauthorized USB devices and
personally owned mobile devices.The USGS is part of the U.S
Interior Department, which specifically prohibits employees from using government systems to view pornography, according to the report
Employees are also asked to "refrain from connecting personal devices, such as USB drives and cellphones, to Government-issued computers or
networks."The employee had previously signed a statement indicating understanding of these rules, according to the report
Nancy DiPaolo, external affairs director at Interior's inspector general's office, told Nextgov that the employee no longer works for the
