How A US Government Agency Got Infected With Malware? 9,000 Pages Of Porn

A federal employee infected a U.S. government network with malware after viewing more than 9,000 pornographic webpages at work, according to an inspector general's report.

The report, published Oct. 17, shows that the employee's actions were discovered during a security audit of the computer network at the U.S. Geological Survey. The employee had an "extensive history of visiting adult pornography websites" on a work computer, many of which were Russian and contained malware that spread to the USGS network.

The USGS is a government agency that performs analysis of the country's landscape and seeks to recognize hazards that may threaten natural resources.

The employee, who was not named in the report, saved many of the pornographic images onto an unauthorized USB device and a personal cellphone - which was also found to contain malware. The Android phone was connected to the employee's government-issued computer, according to the report.

Now, the Office of Inspector General is recommending that the USGS enforce a "strong blacklist policy" of "rogue" web domains and more closely monitor its employees' internet usage.

"An ongoing effort to detect and block known pornographic websites, and websites with suspicious origins, will likely enhance preventive countermeasures," the report reads. The inspector general also suggested that the USGS enact a security policy that would restrict usage of unauthorized USB devices and personally owned mobile devices.

The USGS is part of the U.S. Interior Department, which specifically prohibits employees from using government systems to view pornography, according to the report. Employees are also asked to "refrain from connecting personal devices, such as USB drives and cellphones, to Government-issued computers or networks."

The employee had previously signed a statement indicating understanding of these rules, according to the report. Nancy DiPaolo, external affairs director at Interior's inspector general's office, told Nextgov that the employee no longer works for the USGS.