False malware warning prompts agency to dump IT gear

An alleged malware warning promoted the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to trash $170,000 in IT equipment, wasting half -- $2.7 million -- of its IT budget, a Commerce Department report says. Another $3 million in equipment was slated to be destroyed, but the lack of funds prevented the EDA from continuing the eradication. The faulty warning resulted from miscommunication between the EDA and the Department of Commerce. "Unfortunately, both organizations continued to propagate the inaccurate information ... during the incident response activities," the report said.