The OIG evaluated the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Housing’s (Housing) progress in applying zero trust security principles to protect personally identifiable information (PII) within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Catalyst system.HUD was in the beginning stages of implementing zero trust requirements for the data and identity pillars. HUD Office of Housing systems, including FHA Catalyst,...

 The Geospatial Data of 2018 (the Act) governs the collection, production, acquisition, maintenance, distribution, use, and preservation of geospatial data of covered agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) efforts to meet the geospatial data requirements stated in the Act.  The Act requires the Inspector...

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) directs Inspectors General to conduct an annual evaluation of the agency information security program. FISMA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) establish information technology (IT) security guidance and standards for Federal agencies. We conducted this evaluation to...

We conducted this evaluation to assess the maturity of HUD’s Robotic process automation (RPA) activities and determine whether HUD had implemented related controls to address technology and program management risks.  RPA is a software technology used to emulate human actions on a computer.  RPA software programs, referred to as “bots,” can complete repetitive tasks quickly and consistently, freeing up employees to work on...

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) information technology (IT) infrastructure to support mandatory telework. During mandatory telework, more employees simultaneously needed remote access to HUD’s network and agency resources for an extended period, which presented unique risks and security requirements. While HUD is no longer operating under mandatory telework, understanding the challenges it faced...

We reviewed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ability to effectively complete information technology (IT) acquisitions.  HUD’s IT systems and its modernization plans depend heavily on contractors, yet HUD has historically faced significant challenges with implementing effective acquisition processes. Therefore, HUD’s acquisition capacity represents a key potential risk within HUD’s IT environment. We...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an evaluation of HUD’s Robotics Process Automation (RPA) program. The evaluation objective is to assess the maturity of HUD’s RPA activities and determine whether HUD implemented related controls to address technology and program management risks. The evaluation scope will include assessing the sufficiency of information...

HUD OIG is evaluating the potential delays in the development of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Catalyst. Our objective is to determine why HUD paused work on FHA Catalyst, what caused that pause, whether and to what extent HUD is back to working on FHA Catalyst, and what are the revised dates for completion. 

HUD OIG is auditing HUD’s proactive communication to homeowners with FHA-insured single family mortgages.  The CARES Act and various HUD guidance contain key information that is relevant for homeowners such as details about mortgage loan forbearance protections.  Our objective is to assess HUD’s communication to homeowners through its website, joint website, and other proactive methods about protections, repayment options,...

HUD OIG is conducting research to assess the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s information technology (IT) infrastructure’s preparedness and capability to support mass mandatory telework due to the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). This also included assessing for compliance with HUD information technology policies and Federal information system security requirements.  The CARES Act provided HUD with...