Security clearance process still slow, but more secure

The Office of Personnel and Management has made progress on hardening its systems and databases used for conducting security clearances, but a substantial backlog of investigations persists, according to testimony at a Feb. 2 congressional hearing.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee questioned OPM and Department of Defense officials about progress the new National Background Investigations Bureau is making on both the cybersecurity front, and in speeding up the clearance process.

OPM Chief Information Security Officer Cord Chase and OPM CIO David DeVries told members that the NBIB now has multifactor authentication for 100 percent of users accessing the NBIB system.