Finding 1099153 (2024-001)

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Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
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Year
2024
Accepted
2025-02-11
Audit: 342098
Organization: Siena College (NY)
Auditor: Uhy LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The College missed the June 9, 2023 deadline for implementing secure disposal of customer information and multi-factor authentication.
  • Impacted Requirements: Non-compliance with the Safeguards Rule under the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, specifically regarding secure information disposal and access controls.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Expedite the implementation of secure disposal and multi-factor authentication, and enhance training to ensure future compliance with the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act.

Finding Text

Federal Assistance Listing Number: Various – Student Financial Aid Cluster Criteria: Per 16 CFR 314.4 (c), the College is required to develop, implement, and maintain procedures for the secure disposal of customer information in any format no later than two years after the last date the information is used in connection with the provision of a product or service to the customer to which it relates. The College is also required to implement multifactor authentication for any individual accessing any information system, unless the Qualified Individual has approved in writing the use of reasonably equivalent or more secure access controls. Per the FSA Electronic Announcement GENERAL-23-09, institutions were required to implement these safeguards by June 9, 2023. Condition: The College did not fully implement secure customer information disposal or multi-factor authentication by June 9, 2023, which was the effective deadline. Cause: The College is still working to implement the required secure customer information disposal. The College is also currently in the process of implementing multi-factor authentication on the Banner INB system. Effect: The College is not in compliance with the requirements set by the Safeguards Rule under the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act. Prevalence: Implementing secure customer information disposal proved to be more time consuming due to the volume of customer data. Implementing multi-factor authentication was more complicated and time consuming for the student information system Banner INB. Multi-factor authentication or equivalent access controls are in place for all other systems containing student information. All other elements of the Safeguards Rule appear to be in place as required. Recommendation: The College should implement secure customer information disposal and multi-factor authentication for all systems as soon as possible and reference the related safeguards in the written Information Security Program. The College should also enhance its training and procedures to ensure that any future adjustments to Gramm Leach Bliley Act continue to be met in a timely manner. Management’s Response and Planned Corrective Action: The College is in the process of identifying customer data that should be disposed of or retained beyond two years. Management also acknowledged that implementation of multi-factor authentication for the Banner INB system has taken more time due to the complexity of the system in place. The secure customer information disposal and multi-factor authentication on the Banner INB system is expected to be implemented in 2025.

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Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans $24.22M
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $4.80M
45.130 Promotion of the Humanities Challenge Grants $500,000
84.038 Federal Perkins Loan Program $464,838
84.033 Federal Work-Study Program $450,000
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $224,781
84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants $221,947
47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences $174,117
94.013 Americorps Volunteers in Service to America 94.013 $97,404
47.076 Stem Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) $83,738
81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program $81,932
93.243 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance $81,830
93.859 Biomedical Research and Research Training $57,954
10.652 Forestry Research $26,471
43.001 Science $20,816