Audit targets UW System’s continued IT weaknesses

Posted at 2:10 p.m. on February 6, 2018

The Brillion News

MADISON – The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) released its financial audit of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System (report #18-2) last week.

LAB has reported various concerns related to information technology (IT) security policies, procedures, and controls at UW System since the early 1990s. Although UW System Administration has taken some steps to address IT weaknesses identified by LAB, such weaknesses increase the risk that unauthorized or erroneous transactions could be processed or changes could be made to accounting, payroll, and student data.

In this audit (report 18-2), LAB indicates that UW System Administration developed five systemwide IT policies, but did not developed a comprehensive IT security program in order to comply with past LAB recommendations and Board of Regents policies. Therefore, LAB continued to identify IT weaknesses, which it reported as a significant deficiency in internal control.

Given that LAB has reported concerns with IT security policies, procedures, and controls for a number of years, and continues to identify such concerns, LAB recommends that UW System report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on the status of its efforts to address these matters by August 31, 2018.