#DHS policy expands internal security measures by tracking all personnel

The Department of Homeland Security will start tracking all personnel, including federal employees as well as contractors, with or without a security clearance to uncover insider security threats, a report said Wednesday.

Homeland Security has always focused on identifying and preventing agency employees with security clearances from becoming insider threats by leaking classified information.

But now, the department’s Insider Threat Program is expanding to include anyone, whether past or current employees or contractors, who has or had access to sensitive information, according to Nextgov.com, which tracks the feds’ use of gathering data.

“Subsequent to standing up the DHS ITP, the threats the department faces extend beyond threats of unauthorized disclosure of classified information by DHS-cleared employees,” according to the updated policy.

“Threats faced include those posed by insiders with and without security clearances engaging in activities that have no nexus to unauthorized disclosure of classified information.”

The notice written by Chief Security Officer Richard McComb recommended “expanding the scope of the DHS Insider Threat Program beyond the protection of classified information to include the threats posed to the department by all individuals with access to the department’s facilities, information, equipment, networks or systems,” according to the website.

The new notice changes the department’s definition of “insider” to include anyone who has ever had access to DHS resources.

It also says the new definitions require that new information be collected from sources that were not previously monitored.

“As part of this update, information available to the ITP may now come from any DHS component, office, program, record or source, including records from information security, personnel security and systems security for both internal and external security threats,” the document states.