Category Archives: Federal CISO

Federal CISO Chris DeRusha appointed deputy national cyber director, will serve both roles

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Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha, who has played an integral part in responding to the SolarWinds hack, is getting a second gig as deputy national cyber director for federal cybersecurity. National Cyber Director Chris Inglis hailed DeRusha’s appointment on Twitter Thursday. “Personally announcing Federal CISO Chris DeRusha as the new Deputy National Cyber Director for Federal Cybersecurity,” Inglis tweeted. “We are excited to see how Chris’s dual designation as Federal CISO at @OMBPress will improve federal coherence in the cyber domain.” DeRusha steps into his additional role at a time when questions persist on Capitol Hill about the breakdown of cyber roles within the federal bureaucracy. The national cyber director’s office is the newest addition to that bureaucracy, established only this year. The office is coming into being as the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency is increasingly focused on incident response and information sharing in […]

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Federal CISO forecasts one of toughest tasks in sweeping Biden cyber executive order

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At 34 pages, President Joe Biden’s May executive order on cybersecurity is lengthier than many such White House directives. It’s going to keep federal agencies busy for a long time implementing a host of protective measures, but one might prove a heavier burden, according to Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha. The executive order establishes cybersecurity event log requirements for agencies, meant to improve the government’s ability to investigate and clean-up attacks. “To do monitoring and understand what activity is occurring or has occurred on your network, that’s a huge multi-year exercise that each agency’s going to have to undertake,” DeRusha said during an interview that aired Tuesday as part of CyberTalks, a summit presented by CyberScoop. But it’s a very important part of the order, he said. “When you think about it it’s really a key pillar of … cyber hygiene,” said DeRusha. Under the order, the Homeland […]

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Chris DeRusha, who protected Biden campaign from hackers, says he is the Federal CISO

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The former top cybersecurity official on Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said late Monday that he is now in charge of helping protect the federal government’s sprawling bureaucracy from hackers. Chris DeRusha, also a former White House cybersecurity official in the Obama administration, announced his appointment as the federal government’s new chief information security officer on LinkedIn. Maria Roat, the acting Federal CIO, confirmed DeRusha’s appointment early Tuesday. As Federal CISO, DeRusha will be responsible for coordinating cybersecurity policy across the federal bureaucracy and prodding agencies to fortify their networks in the wake of a suspected Russian hacking campaign that has infiltrated the departments of Justice, Energy and others. DeRusha is returning to familiar territory, having served as a White House cybersecurity adviser when Biden was vice president. DeRusha is also well-versed in election security issues, having worked as Michigan’s chief security officer before the Biden campaign hired him to prevent a repeat […]

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