Nearly a third of employee desks checked after the close of business by a government watchdog at five Department of Homeland Security agencies had sensitive materials, laptops, cell phones and “For Office Use Only” documents left unsecured.

Many of the unsecured materials included system passwords and personal information that could be used for identity theft, according to the department’s inspector general, based on checks performed by audit contractor KPMG, LLP. The checks found 218 of 686 inspected desks — nearly 32 percent — were left unsecured.

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