Audit finds slipshod cyber-security at HealthCare.gov

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal audit finds the government stored sensitive personal information on millions of health insurance customers in a computer system with basic security flaws.

The Obama administration says it acted quickly to fix all the problems identified by the Health and Human Services inspector general.

But the audit raises questions about the government’s ability to protect a vast new database when cyberattacks are becoming bolder.

The $110 million system is called MIDAS, the central electronic storehouse for information collected under President Barack Obama’s health care law.

MIDAS doesn’t handle medical records, but it does include names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, and phone numbers of customers on HealthCare.gov.

Jeremy Gillula (gee-LOO’-luh) is a staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He says that sounds like a gold mine for ID thieves.