April 24, 2003

Inspection of Internal Controls Over Personal Computers at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Computers are used extensively in the full range of operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), including processing classified national security information. LANL reported an inventory of approximately 5,000 laptop and 30,000 desktop computers at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2002. Department of Energy (DOE) and LANL property policies identify computers as “sensitive property,” due in part to their susceptibility to theft and potential for conversion to cash. It is an expected practice that management controls over computers throughout the DOE complex remain robust and consistent.