President Biden is expected to appoint Former Officials with Extensive Cyber Policy Experience to Three Crucial positions as his Administration grapples with Digital Security Threats including the Massive SolarWinds Hack.
- Jen Easterly, will be his National Cyber Director. Choosing a Veteran of the National Security Council, the Military, and Intelligence Communities, to lead a newly Created White House Office that will guide his Strategy and Oversee Agencies’ Digital Security.
- Robert Silvers, will Head Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, handing him the Mission of Protecting U.S. Critical Infrastructure and Federal Computer Networks from Hackers.
- Eric Goldstein, to Lead Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)’s Cybersecurity Division, filling one of the most Important Mid-Level roles at the Agency.
All Three Officials will play Key Roles as Biden weighs how his Administration will respond to the SolarWinds Cyber Espionage Campaign, a Major series of Cyberattacks in which Hackers, believed to be from Russian Foreign Entelligence, compromised an untold number of Federal Agencies, State and Local Governments, and Private Corporations.
“All three of those folks have extensive experience in cybersecurity,” Michael Daniel, who served as President Barack Obama’s Cybersecurity Coordinator said. “They bring a lot of skills to the administration and I think would be strong players.”
“With these appointments, clearly the Biden Administration is making cybersecurity and the protection of United States infrastructure a top priority,” said Anthony Ferrante, a Former NSC Director for cyber Incident response and FBI Cyber Division Chief of Staff. “He's building a strong and diverse team, with accomplished backgrounds in cyber offense, resilience, and investigations.”
If Confirmed by the Senate, Easterly will be instrumental in Defining the Structure and Purpose of the amorphous New Cyber Director Office. The position, the Marquee Recommendation of the Congressionally Chartered Cyberspace Solarium Commission, is essentially an Upgrade of the National Security Council Cyber Coordinator Post that Trump Eliminated in 2018.
While many Experts have championed the idea of a White House cyber Office as a way of Elevating the Issue’s importance and proximity to the President, Key questions about its Activities and Authority remain unanswered. How Easterly handles the job will help answer those questions and set a Precedent for all of her successors. With a Broad but Untested Mandate, it will be up to Easterly to establish whether her Position becomes Influential or Superfluous.
Easterly will bring a Key Asset to the Job of National Cyber Director. A past working relationship with Anne Neuberger, the NSA Official whom Biden Appointed to the New Position of Deputy National Security Adviser for Cybersecurity.
Neuberger and Easterly both served from 2009 to 2010 on the Implementation Team for Cyber Command, then a Subordinate Unit of U.S. Strategic Command. They were instrumental in establishing the Structure and Operational Mindset of the Unit, which became a Full Combatant Command in 2017.
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