There are definitely some interesting points brought up here in the comments section as well. I guess somebody should e-mail this to the Presidential Chief of Staff in case he’d be willing to take a couple of notes.

You’re right obviously Phil, in that the Aide is by far the most at fault and should get more then a slap on the wrist but as Jay perfectly puts it, the Aide could manipulate the verification process (the policy that the codes need to be checked monthly) that it was the result of a lack of oversight to ensure policies are actually implemented. Putting policies is place is never enough and we all know that. You need to ensure policies are implemented and followed.

I don’t think the article is outright dismissing the negligence of the presidential aide. What the article is addressing however, is the fact that security specialists didn’t recognize the aide as a possible security problem. Although it’s great to point fingers and hold people accountable for their actions, security is a preventive measure not a reactive one. It’s always recommended to fix your company’s security system first, before implementing it.