CybersecurityCzar

Latest

  • Acting Cybersecurity Czar resigns for 'personal reasons'

    by 
    Donald Melanson
    Donald Melanson
    08.04.2009

    She still hasn't ever been formally named to the post she helped create, but acting White House Cybersecurity Czar Melissa Hathaway has now already taken her name out of the running and announced her resignation from the job, citing the usual "personal reasons" and the need to "pass the torch." As The Wall Street Journal reports, however, there may have been a bit more drama going on behind the scenes, with "people familiar with the matter" reportedly saying that she has been "spinning her wheels" in the post, and marginalized politically. For it's part, the White House simply says that cybersecurity remains "a major priority for the president," and that "the president is personally committed to finding the right person for this job, and a rigorous selection process is well under way."[Via Switched]

  • White House, Pentagon announce plans for new cybersecurity positions

    by 
    Donald Melanson
    Donald Melanson
    05.29.2009

    It's just been a few short months since a proposed bill called for the creation of a National Cybersecurity Advisor, but it looks like there's now not one but two new positions in the offing, with both the Pentagon and President Obama himself announcing plans for some newly elevated offices charged with keeping the nation's networks secure. While a specific "Cybersecurity Czar" hasn't yet been named, the White House position will apparently be a member of both the National Security Council and National Economic Council and, in addition to coordinating U.S. response in the event of a major attack, the office will also be tasked with protecting privacy and civil liberties. Details on the new Pentagon office, on the other hand, are expectedly even less specific although, according to The New York Times, it'll be a military command that will work to coordinate efforts now scattered across the four armed services, and will apparently serve as complement to the civilian office in the White House.Read - Reuters, "Obama to name White House cybersecurity czar"Read - The New York Times, "Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars"[Thanks, Ryan]