The GSN 2015 Digital Yearbook

GSN 2015 DIGITAL YEARBOOK OF HOMELAND SECURITY AWARDS RECIPIENTS
Most Notable Federal Government Security Program/Project or Initiative
U.S. Department of State
2015 Winner
Awards Category:
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Continuous Clearance Evaluation Program
Name of Nominated Product, Service,
or Program:
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Continuous Clearance Evaluation Program
Reason this entry deserves to win:
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The U.S. government currently has about five million
people holding security clearances – confidential, secret
or top secret – all providing consent to certain ongoing
checks in order to maintain that status. Under the
current system, clearances at the confidential, secret
and top secret level are reviewed at 15, 10 and five years
respectively. However, major life changes may occur
within the span of five to 15 years, ranging from common
occurrences like financial or marriage changes
to more severe transgressions, such as arrests, drug
or criminal activity. Any of these factors could affect a
clearance holder’s personal stability and would merit
a review of the access privileges granted to that user.
However, the only check currently in place relies on the
individual self-reporting changes against the 13 Federal
Adjudicative Standards, such as personal conduct, foreign
influence, criminal conduct, drug involvement, etc.
This is an unreliable safeguard, as it places the reporting
requirement on the individual who has a vested interest
in maintaining clearance status. In fact, only a minority
of clearance holders actually self-report, and in some
cases, criminal activity went unreported. As the government
continues its efforts to mitigate insider threats,
agencies have been moving to establish more effective
controls. To this effect, agencies have primarily focused
on their physical and network security environment, but
these measures are unable to account for a full picture
of risk informed by life events. In a pioneering effort to
change that, the State Department has implemented a
comprehensive risk-based oversight system that utilizes
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