On Tuesday, just a day after Donald Trump took office as the new president of the United States, the Department of Homeland Security communicated to several advisory committee members that their positions were effectively terminated.
Among the affected committees is the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), as reported by sources familiar with the board and confirmed by various news outlets. The CSRB included experts from both the private sector and government cybersecurity sectors.
A source acquainted with the CSRB, who received the notification of their termination from the CSRB, criticized the move.
“Dissolving all DHS advisory boards without assessing the ramifications shows an alarming lack of foresight,” the source, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared with TechCrunch. “Halting the CSRB examinations during ongoing cyber threats from China to our critical infrastructure is a serious error. We must learn from incidents like Salt Typhoon to enhance our defenses. It’s concerning that this isn’t a priority for Trump.”
“You can’t address what you don’t comprehend, and the CSRB was instrumental in giving us that understanding,” they added.
This comment referred to the CSRB’s assessment of the significant recent breaches within several U.S. telecommunications companies, allegedly executed by hackers linked to the Chinese government.
In response to inquiries, CISA spokesperson Valerie Mongello directed TechCrunch’s request to DHS.
In reply to a request for comments, DHS provided a statement from an unnamed senior official.
“Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security will not tolerate any advisory committee that promotes agendas undermining its national security mission, the President’s directives, or the Constitutional rights of American citizens,” the statement read. The DHS representative did not provide a name when asked.
“In line with DHS’s commitment to preventing the misuse of resources and ensuring that our activities prioritize national security, I am ordering the immediate termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS,” stated the letter addressed to CSRB members.
Another source involved noted, “It’s noteworthy that the justification revolves around ‘misuse of resources,’ given that all advisory board members are compensated a grand total of…$0.”
Katie Moussouris, a cybersecurity specialist with over 20 years of experience and a former CSRB member, expressed her hopes to TechCrunch: “Government advisors should be evaluated based on their skills and qualifications, not by their political affiliations. I am optimistic that these important advisory board openings will be filled promptly with the best-qualified individuals.”
The CSRB also scrutinized the breach of U.S. government email systems supplied by Microsoft, which was also allegedly executed by Chinese government hackers. In March of the previous year, the committee released a report regarding this incident, which received widespread acclaim within the cybersecurity community.
Additionally, other advisory committee members affected by DHS’s decision include those focused on artificial intelligence, telecommunications, science and technology, as well as emergency preparedness.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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