Government agencies don't do enough after suffering data breaches

Federal agencies aren't seriously defending against data breaches and personal identifiable information (PII) is increasingly finding its way into the hands of cybercriminals, according to a recent report published from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The number of government data breaches increased up to 25,566, twice the amount as reported in 2010 - and affected companies often are unfamiliar with how to respond properly.

The GAO has criticized federal government branches, specifically the Department of the Army, IRS, SEC, and a few other agencies, falling short of mandating information security programs and being lackadaisical about security efforts.

GAO's report notes:

"In December 2013, GAO reported on agencies' responses to PII data breaches and found that they were inconsistent and needed improvement. Although selected agencies had generally developed breach-response policies and procedures, their implementation of key practices called for by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance was inconsistent."