Category Archives: NSC

Cyber experts applaud the new White House cybersecurity plan

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First, there was a strategy. Now, there’s a plan. The Biden Administration recently released its plan for implementing the highly anticipated national cybersecurity strategy published in March. The new National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP) lays out specific deadlines and responsibilities for the White House’s vision for cybersecurity. The plan is being managed by the […]

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A US official explains why the White House decided not to ban ransomware payments

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The Biden administration backed away from the idea of banning ransomware payments after meetings with the private sector and cybersecurity experts, a top cybersecurity official said Wednesday. “Initially, I thought that was a good approach,” Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, said at an Aspen Security Forum event. “We know that ransom payments are driving this ecosystem.” Experts, including former government officials serving on a non-profit ransomware task force, helped shift that view, following high-profile hacks against Colonial Pipeline, the food production company JBS and Kaseya, a Florida-based IT firm. Payments from the Colonial Pipeline and JBS attacks totaled more than $15 million, a number that likely represents a fraction of the funds sent to extortionists. “We heard loud and clear from many that the state of resilience is inadequate, and as such, if we banned ransom payments we would essentially drive even more of […]

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Biden issues memo to push critical infrastructure cybersecurity upgrades

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President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a national security memorandum tasking a group of federal agencies to develop cybersecurity performance goals for critical infrastructure. The directive is the latest effort from the Biden administration to get critical industries on board with improving cybersecurity in areas that could impact national security and the economy. The executive memo follows a security directive handed down by the Transportation Security Administration last week requiring owners and operators of TSA-designated critical pipelines to implement mitigations to protect against ransomware and other threats. “Our current posture is woefully insufficient given the evolving threat we face today,” a senior administration official told reporters in a call on Tuesday. “We really kicked the can down the road for a long time. The administration is committed to leveraging every authority we have, though limited, and we’re also open to new approaches, both voluntary and mandatory.” The Department of Homeland […]

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Senate to review fusion center plan to deter Russian cyberattacks

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Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday they would consider plans offered by a Obama administration official to fight back against Russian aggression in cyberspace. Victoria Nuland, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told lawmakers that it would be pragmatic for the country to consider a new “fusion center” to deter foreign election meddling similar to what occurred in 2016. The approach Nuland described would look like the counter-terrorism model pursued by the U.S. government in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. “On the President’s direction and with Congressional support, the Trump Administration could immediately establish a multi-agency Fusion Center, modeled on the National Counter Terrorism Center [(NCTC)] but smaller in size, to pull together all the information and resources of our government to identify, expose and respond to state-sponsored efforts to undermine American democracy through disinformation, cyberattack, and abuse of the internet,” Nuland said. Senior […]

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Bolton reshuffle continues: Trump selects Coast Guard official as new homeland security adviser

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The Trump administration has picked Coast Guard Rear Adm. Douglas Fears as its new homeland security adviser, the White House announced Friday. Fears, with over 30 years of service in the Coast Guard, will replace Tom Bossert, who departed the White House two months ago at the request of incoming national security adviser John Bolton. “Doug Fears brings more than three decades of experience across a range of vital homeland security areas including counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and disaster response to the NSC,” Bolton said in a White House statement. “Doug will serve as the president’s homeland security adviser and my point person on an array of vital tasks ranging from overseeing the NSC Cybersecurity Directorate to coordinating the interagency efforts during disaster response.” An alumnus of the U.S. Naval War College, U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Harvard, Fears has been a special assistant to the president and senior director for resilience policy at […]

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Lawmakers introduce bill to save top White House cyber job after Bolton eliminated it

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House Democrats on Tuesday introduced legislation to codify a top cybersecurity position at the White House following National Security Adviser John Bolton’s decision to eliminate the role. The bill from Democratic Reps. Jim Langevin, R.I., and Ted Lieu, Calif., would establish a National Office for Cyberspace in the Executive Office of the President – and a Senate-confirmed head of that office. That official would synchronize cybersecurity policy across agencies in much the same way that White House cybersecurity coordinator Rob Joyce was doing until he stepped down last week. Against the backdrop of Joyce’s decision to leave the coordinator role and return to the National Security Agency, a power struggle over cybersecurity leadership at the National Security Council has ensued. Bolton ultimately decided to scrap the coordinator role. An aide to Bolton emailed NSC staff on Tuesday saying the move would help cut “another layer of bureaucracy.” Politico was first to report on Bolton’s […]

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Bolton eliminates White House Cybersecurity Coordinator position

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The National Security Council has officially decided to eliminate the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator role, a current U.S. official told CyberScoop. Until today, the position had an important role in synchronizing cybersecurity efforts across the federal government, including managing the execution of defensive and offensive cyber operations conducted by the Pentagon. The position was first created under the George W. Bush administration. The move follows the departure of former coordinator Rob Joyce on Friday. Joyce’s planned departure followed a 14-month stint where he pioneered the creation of several new cybersecurity policies and helped shed light on a secretive government disclosure framework, known as the Vulnerabilities Equities Process. The news was first reported by Politico and independently confirmed by CyberScoop. An email sent Tuesday to NSC staffers by an aide of national security adviser John Bolton described that the decision would help cut “another layer of bureaucracy.” The NSC currently employs […]

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Trump administration may throw out the approval process for cyberwarfare

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Members of the White House’s National Security Council are pushing to rescind Presidential Policy Directive 20, an important policy memorandum that currently guides the approval process for government-backed cyberattacks, three current U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell CyberScoop. The effort is driven in part by a desire from some NSC staff to create a more streamlined channel for military leaders to get their offensive cyber operations greenlit, insiders familiar with the matter said. The sources spoke under the condition of anonymity to freely discuss sensitive national security matters. The move comes as lawmakers openly question whether U.S. Cyber Command, the nation’s premier cyber warfare unit, is hamstrung from responding to Russian meddling due to bureaucratic red tape. CyberScoop previously reported that multiple congressional committees are considering policies that could empower the military’s cyber mission. But the push for change faces resistance from the intelligence community and several other federal agencies involved in cybersecurity. Senior […]

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A cybersecurity power struggle is brewing at the National Security Council

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Senior government officials are worried about the outcome of an ongoing power struggle inside the National Security Council that will shape the fate of the nation’s cybersecurity posture. The arrival of newly appointed national security adviser John Bolton has prompted an attempted power grab by a member of the National Security Council, four current officials with knowledge of the matter told CyberScoop. This effort is causing anxiety across senior levels of government about the future of the cybersecurity coordinator role at the White House — a position that oversees a wide array of programs, including the management and coordination of defensive and offensive cyber-operations. Earlier this week, current Cybersecurity Coordinator Rob Joyce announced his intention to leave the position and return to the National Security Agency, where he spent more than two decades. He will remain in the White House position for another month to help with the transition process. The sources, who spoke […]

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Bolton will lead charge to replace cybersecurity coordinator, DHS Secretary says

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Newly appointed national security adviser John Bolton will lead the charge in finding a replacement for Cybersecurity Coordinator Rob Joyce, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. Nielsen spoke to a small group of reporters Monday ahead of a public speaking appearance at the 2018 RSA Conference in San Francisco. The meeting occurred several hours after Joyce’s planned departure was first reported by Reuters and then independently confirmed by CyberScoop. “It’s within Ambassador Bolton’s prerogative [to select the next cybersecurity coordinator],” Nielsen said. “[Bolton] will take the time to work with Rob’s team and work with him, but that would be up to him.” While Joyce spends the next month transitioning out of his role, Bolton will coordinate with the White House National Security Council to find a replacement. It is also possible that Bolton will take this opportunity to restructure aspects of the existing position, a current U.S. […]

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