Category Archives: Thomas Bossert

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

Posted on by

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. […]

The post Bolton will lead charge to replace cybersecurity coordinator, DHS Secretary says appeared first on Cyberscoop.

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

Cybersecurity adviser Rob Joyce to leave White House, return to NSA

Posted on by

Rob Joyce is planning to leave his post as White House cybersecurity coordinator and return to work at the National Security Agency, a U.S. official confirmed to CyberScoop on Monday. The news comes less than a week after Joyce’s boss, Thomas Bossert, resigned as White House homeland security adviser. Joyce has been filling Bossert’s role in an acting capacity. Bossert’s resignation was reportedly at the request of John Bolton, the newly appointed national security adviser. The departures of Joyce and Bossert leave big gaps in the Trump administration’s cybersecurity expertise. In his main role, Joyce has been involved in developing the framework surrounding how the U.S. responds to foreign cyberthreats. He participated in a call with reporters on Monday to issue an alert about Russian-backed hacking efforts targeting internet routers. Joyce has also been vocal to push for carveouts for security research in the impending European General Data Protection Regulation, which many say has a chilling effect on […]

The post Cybersecurity adviser Rob Joyce to leave White House, return to NSA appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Cybersecurity adviser Rob Joyce to leave White House, return to NSA→

Thomas Bossert resigns from White House

Posted on by

White House official Thomas Bossert, a special assistant to the president on homeland security matters, has resigned, the White House announced Tuesday. The resignation comes one day after newly appointed national security adviser John Bolton took his position at the White House. Bloomberg has reported that Bossert’s resignation came as a result of a Bolton request. NEWS: Bossert is essentially being fired. He is resigning at the request of new National Security Adviser John Bolton, I’m told. — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 10, 2018 Bossert spoke publicly as recent as Sunday on the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to counter Russian aggression in cyberspace. Various national security experts, including some current U.S. officials, have criticized the White House in recent months for what they describe as insufficient punishment towards the Kremlin for having meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Bossert was an important voice in the Trump administration when it came […]

The post Thomas Bossert resigns from White House appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Thomas Bossert resigns from White House→

While U.S. ponders response to Russia, agencies’ hands are tied in cyberspace, intelligence chief says

Posted on by

After senators repeatedly criticized him for the weak U.S. response to Russian cyberattacks and propaganda, the head of the intelligence community complained Tuesday that a lack of policy had stifled his agencies from taking action. The White House is currently involved in various policy discussions with intelligence agencies, the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department about how to best counter Russian operations, said Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. But there’s still no timetable for when any of these policies will be either introduced or codified into law. In the meantime, “Russia is likely to continue to pursue even more aggressive cyberattacks with the intent of degrading our democratic values and weakening our alliances,” Coats said Tuesday at a hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The National Security Council, White House Homeland Security Adviser Thomas Bossert and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Rob Joyce are discussing the appropriate policy and legal framework necessary […]

The post While U.S. ponders response to Russia, agencies’ hands are tied in cyberspace, intelligence chief says appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading While U.S. ponders response to Russia, agencies’ hands are tied in cyberspace, intelligence chief says→

Watchdog questions DoD about Cyber Command’s work with private sector, civilian agencies

Posted on by

The Defense Department needs to clarify and further define how certain U.S. defense agencies and combatant commands — including the nation’s top cyberwarfare unit, U.S. Cyber Command — should interact with private sector companies and civilian agencies, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO outlined deficiencies in a report by the Pentagon that sought to establish roles and responsibilities for some of these defense organizations when they respond to data breaches. GAO contends that the Defense Department’s “Section 1648 report” leaves out several key details that would sufficiently answer questions about collaboration with businesses as well as training requirements for operators. DOD has reportedly agreed with some of GAO’s criticism. Recent major data breaches affecting U.S. corporations, including Deloitte and Equifax, have spurred questions about whether the Pentagon should take on a greater role in defending the private sector from intrusions. “DOD was supposed to develop [a] comprehensive plan for CYBERCOM […]

The post Watchdog questions DoD about Cyber Command’s work with private sector, civilian agencies appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Watchdog questions DoD about Cyber Command’s work with private sector, civilian agencies→

White House Cybersecurity Coordinator takes on additional role in Trump administration

Posted on by

Rob Joyce, the White House’s Cybersecurity Coordinator, is ascending through the ranks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. CyberScoop has learned that Joyce will take on a new position starting Monday as Acting Deputy Homeland Security Adviser to the President, a position that was vacated by John Daly in recent days and Amy Pope before him in January. Joyce is a well respected intelligence professional and one of the leading cybersecurity experts in the federal government. Prior to the White House, he worked in the National Security Agency, leading the spy agency’s elite hacking unit known as Tailored Access Operations. The March appointment of Joyce as White House cybersecurity coordinator was heralded by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Joyce will continue in his role as the nation’s cybersecurity czar in addition to the new position. His current duties include coordinating, communicating with and effectively leading the individual cybersecurity efforts of each federal agency, […]

The post White House Cybersecurity Coordinator takes on additional role in Trump administration appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading White House Cybersecurity Coordinator takes on additional role in Trump administration→

Rudy Giuliani has had virtually no input on U.S. cybersecurity policy

Posted on by

Eight months ago, Rudy Giuliani was named a top adviser to President Donald Trump on cybersecurity matters. Yet, former and current U.S. officials say since that declaration, Giuliani has contributed little to the administration and the advisory role has yet to bear anything worthwhile. Giuliani’s so-called “cyber working group,” a vague advisory committee officially announced by Trump’s presidential transition team in early January, is rarely in contact with White House staff. It is absent and disconnected from significant decisions, said a U.S. official with knowledge of White House affairs who spoke to CyberScoop on condition of anonymity. The source, like others in this story, declined to speak on the record citing the potential for blowback from Giuliani’s allies in government. “From what I saw, it didn’t exist,” said one former senior U.S. official. On May 11, White House homeland security adviser Thomas Bossert announced the rollout of a new executive order on […]

The post Rudy Giuliani has had virtually no input on U.S. cybersecurity policy appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Rudy Giuliani has had virtually no input on U.S. cybersecurity policy→

Former officials buck White House adviser’s comments about government hacking

Posted on by

A top White House official says the U.S. government cannot rely on offensive cyber operations to deter foreign hackers from attacking American computer networks. Thomas Bossert, an assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, told an audience of former intelligence and defense officials Wednesday in Washington, D.C., that hacking into foreign computer networks should not be considered a means to deterring enemies from breaching American organizations. “There’s very little reason to believe that an offensive cyberattack is going to have any deterrent effect on a cyber adversary,” Bossert said. “In fact, it will likely encourage them to hurry up and become better hackers and develop better defenses. So I don’t just think this is a misnomer, but it’s something that we need to move past and say out loud.” Bossert suggested the U.S. government should instead leverage “national power” to stop future cyberattacks. “I think what we will […]

The post Former officials buck White House adviser’s comments about government hacking appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Former officials buck White House adviser’s comments about government hacking→

Trump adviser proposes broader cybersecurity oversight for private-sector critical infrastructure

Posted on by

A top White House official says the U.S. government may have a more extensive role to play in defending computer networks associated with American critical infrastructure, even though most are owned and operated by the private sector. Thomas Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, told an audience of former intelligence and defense officials Wednesday in Washington, D.C., that there are certain narrowly defined cases where the Defense Department could be more closely connected to companies and organizations that handle what the Department of Homeland Security labels as critical infrastructure. The designation applies to 16 different U.S. business sectors, including manufacturing, emergency services, energy and financial markets. There are a number of different federal agencies that are currently involved in defending the private sector from computer intrusions: the NSA, FBI, DHS and the military’s U.S. Cyber Command. Some former intelligence officials, like ex-NSA Director Keith Alexander, believe, however, that this multi-agency approach […]

The post Trump adviser proposes broader cybersecurity oversight for private-sector critical infrastructure appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Trump adviser proposes broader cybersecurity oversight for private-sector critical infrastructure→

Homeland security adviser explains what Trump meant by ‘impenetrable cyber security unit’

Posted on by

The “impenetrable cybersecurity unit” that President Donald Trump talked about forming with Russia won’t happen, but U.S. officials will open a dialogue with their Kremlin counterparts about “rules of the road” in cyberspace, White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said Friday. It’s the first time a senior Trump administration cybersecurity official has addressed the issue since the president’s notorious tweet earlier this month. Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 The tweet, saying Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had “discussed forming an impenetrable Cybersecurity unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded,” set off a firestorm of derision and criticism from experts. Trump eventually seemed to retreat from the idea, but Bossert’s comments Friday made clear there will be an effort to open a […]

The post Homeland security adviser explains what Trump meant by ‘impenetrable cyber security unit’ appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Homeland security adviser explains what Trump meant by ‘impenetrable cyber security unit’→