OH- Computer search system now has unique sign-ons

A clear failure of the state to TIMELY UPDATE "Security Codes" of those APPROVED to use their systems. Hopefully State Auditors will take notice of this breach in security.

11-21-2008 Ohio:

Contractor had been using state databases to run searches even after he stopped working for AG's office.

COLUMBUS — A powerful system that allows law enforcement to search multiple public and private databases in a matter of seconds was used by a state contractor to look up information on Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher and numerous other people, according to Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles.

The Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG), which is overseen by the Ohio Attorney General's office, gives instant access to prison, parole, sex offender, criminal history, driver and vehicle records and other information. Every search is done under a sign-in and password and recorded.

"There is a complete audit trail of everything that is searched or used in the system," said OHLEG Director Steve Raubenolt.

An unnamed contractor is now under criminal investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol for continuing to run searches after he stopped working on the OHLEG system for the attorney general's office. The attorney general, the inspector general, and the patrol declined to release the contractor's name.

Charles criticized the attorney general's office for failing to take steps to terminate access once OHLEG contractors and users had left.

Raubenolt said the 62 generic test accounts created for information technology contractors are shut down and each user now has a unique sign-on and accounts are no longer recycled. Additionally, routine audits will be done of any vendor or contractor accounts.

Across the state there are 1,532 agencies and 25,000 individual users participating in OHLEG and the system gets about 10,000 searches a day. So far in 2008, nearly 3 million searches have been done.

Of the 900 police departments in Ohio, 760 are contributing incident reports and other data into the system.

Raubenolt said this year, OHLEG added a prescription drug database to allow officers to enter a pill color, shape and number and get a list of likely drug names back.

"As far as I know, it's still the only system of its kind in the United States," Raubenolt said. ..News Source.. by Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer