The Online Trust Alliance (OTA) released its annual Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll for 2015 and included federal agencies in the honor roll for the first time, comparing government cybersecurity postures to financial institutions, online retailers, social networking sites, news and media and the Internet of Things.
Of the 50 federal agencies audited, 21 (42 percent) qualified for the honor roll, achieving an overall score of 80 percent, with at least 55 percent in each of three security areas.
Report: 2015 Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) ranked highest among the Federal 50. The Environmental Protection Agency, Army.mil and AirForce.mil received the lowest scores.
The audit ranked organizations based on three security areas:
- Domains, brand and consumer protection;
- Website, server and infrastructure security; and
- Data protection, privacy and transparency.
Organizations could earn up to 100 points in each area, plus 70 points for adhering to newer standards and best practices. Sites were also docked up to 65 points for known data breaches and vulnerabilities.
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Federal agencies scored better than news sites and the Internet of Things overall but many were far from making the honor roll individually.
“The Federal 50 had a higher than average failure rate … yielding a bi-modal distribution where organizations either made the honor roll or failed in one or more categories,” the report notes.
Agencies failed most often in the first security area (48 percent), attributed largely to lack of email authentication standards. Some 4 percent managed to pass the audit without qualifying for the honor roll.
More: FISMA report shows feds weak on user authentication
The Federal 50 did have a strong showing in the Online Trust Index, obtaining a score of 78 out of 100. The sector also boasted the highest average privacy score at 83.
“The OTA Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll highlights best practices, identifying companies who have demonstrated a commitment to consumer safety, security and privacy,” the report reads. “Companies that earned honor roll status serve as a North Star for others to aspire to.”
