Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom told lawmakers on Tuesday that she and every other State Department employee get locked out of their computers if they do not complete an annual cyber security class, which is part of the department’s longstanding program to train employees on how to handle classified information.
She added that this training program will soon include a "lessons learned process" to address some of the issues that surfaced with the State Department's release of Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Higginbottom made her comments while testifying in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about how to strengthen the department’s diplomatic efforts.
Committee chairman Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) asked Higginbottom whether she believes there needs to be more training and oversight to ensure that State Department officials handle classified information appropriately as the FBI continues to investigate whether Clinton mishandled such information while serving as secretary of state.
"The department takes its responsibility to protect sensitive information very seriously, and we do do a lot of training," Higginbottom said in response. "As part of the most recent process we concluded just a week ago in the release of Secretary Clinton’s emails, we’re going to conduct a lessons learned process, both in how we process those emails and some of the issues that arose."
Higginbottom said that the department has a "robust" training program for new employees just starting their jobs as well as for more experienced people who have a security clearance and handle classified information. One of the reasons for doing so is to show employees how certain content "might be of interest to an adversary" or someone with interests in opposition to those of the United States.
"Is that training new?" Corker then asked.
"It’s not new," Higginbottom responded. "We’ve had training for a long time, and we adapt. For example, I get locked out of my computer, as does every other State Department employee, if I don’t take an annual cyber security awareness course. I literally can’t get on. I have to take it."
She also said that the department adapts as new threats emerge and is always looking to update its training methods.
Higginbottom’s answer comes as the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server is ongoing. The bureau has been seeing since at least August if Clinton mishandled classified information while heading the State Department.
The department finished releasing the more than 50,000 pages of Clinton emails from her home-brewed server to the public on Feb. 29. In total, 2,115 of the emails have been deemed classified, 22 of which are "top secret" and could not be released because the content in them is too sensitive to make public.
There is a growing belief that the FBI will begin interviewing Clinton staff members or the Democratic frontrunner herself in the near future.
Some top former defense and intelligence officials have expressed concern that U.S. adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran may have gotten into Clinton’s private server and accessed information from it.
It has been reported that other foreign nations have tried hacking into the server.
It is unclear whether Clinton underwent the State Department training that Higginbottom described to lawmakers.