A Lot of Former SBA Employees Still Have Access to Their Agency Email Account

Departures of employees, contractors, interns and volunteers at the Small Business Administration did not always go according to procedure, an inspector general reported Tuesday.

Security measures for employees who are leaving their jobs include deactivating computer network accounts within 24 hours of separation and collecting federal property, the watchdog noted. But the IG’s analysis in fiscal 2013 and 2014 uncovered 73 active accounts from separated personnel, though many had never been accessed.

Auditors’ review of 57 employee separation checklists found that fewer than half of the forms—46 percent—were completed correctly, and 19 percent could not be found. “We also found multiple errors in the manner that contracting officer’s representatives … carried out contractor separations, and also noted that SBA did not have formal procedures on how to deactivate and terminate intern and volunteer accounts,” the report said.

In fiscal 2013, the IG’s independent public accountant identified 20 separated employees who retained access to SBA’s network, and in 2014 it found eight still accessible, including one for a former senior executive. The IG found two “security incidents,” in which the accounts were accessed, which were not reported.

The watchdog made six recommendations, built around greater enforcement of the requirement that managers complete the separation checklist. SBA for the most part agreed and is implementing the procedures.

(Image via Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com)