Inspector general: 2 US dams at risk of 'insider threats'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An inspector general report finds two dams critical to U.S. national security are at high risk for "insider threats" due to poor computer security.

The Monday report does not name the two dams, but they are among five considered "critical infrastructure." The five are Hoover, Shasta, Grand Coulee, Glen Canyon and Folsom dams.

The inspector general at the U.S. Department of the Interior conducted the evaluation.

It finds the two dams are at low risk of outside cyber infiltration, but high risk of threats from within.

Risk factors include too many people having access to administrator accounts, a failure to change passwords regularly and background checks that aren't rigorous enough.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation which operates the dams disputes some of the findings.

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Associated Press