Security teams probe leaks at nuclear weapons labs

Security has been tightened at vulnerable Department of Energy nuclear weapons labs, but some leaks still need to be plugged, according to a new report from DOE's Office of Independent Oversight.

A team of 25 security experts attempted to penetrate both physical and computer security systems at three DOE labs this summer. The full results of the security reviews are classified, but Energy officials released a summary of the findings Monday.

Experts gave the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico a satisfactory rating on a scale that included satisfactory, marginal and unsatisfactory ratings. Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California received marginal ratings.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson ordered the labs to beef up security safeguards after reports of Chinese espionage at Los Alamos surfaced six months ago. Richardson said the results of the security review were encouraging. "Our reforms are beginning to work and people are getting the message that we're serious about protecting our nation's secrets," he said.

The labs have added more armed guards and patrols and will soon improve intrusion alarms. On the computer security front, new rules are in place for transferring classified data and e-mail is now randomly monitored.

At the department level, DOE created a new "security czar" position in June and established two offices to monitor security-related functions at the labs.

Still, much remains to be done, Richardson admitted. The Associated Press reported that the security teams were able to penetrate sensitive areas of an unclassified computer system at all three labs. Now that they're identified, the gaps will be plugged, the report said.

Richardson said the independent oversight teams, which he called "junkyard dogs," will continue to seek out security leaks. "I will hold our people accountable for improving," he said.