White House cybersecurity chief quits, says leadership is inviting an attack

[flamingdem]

https://thenextweb.com/politics/2019/10/25/white-house-cybersecurity-chief-quits-says-leadership-is-inviting-an-attack/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=White%2BHouse%2Bcybersecurity%2Bchief%2Bquits%252C%2Bsays%2Bleadership%2Bis%2Binviting%2Ban%2Battack&fbclid=IwAR2eJQ2jTtNyVoT45T_AOLgVlrurcRC087O1HUKGa9RUBppx6WBB5B3RxgU


White House computer security Chief Dimitrios Vistakis gave the White House one helluva resignation notice earlier this week when he quit over practices he dubbed “absurd” including the systemic purging of cybersecurity staff.

They say that history repeats itself. Unfortunately given all of the changes I’ve seen in the past three months, I foresee the White House is posturing itself to be electronically compromised once again. Allowing for a large portion of institutional knowledge to concurrently walk right out the front door seems contrary to the best of interests of the mission and organization as a whole.

The above quote, taken from a memo obtained by Axios and sent by Vistakis summarizes the former director’s worries. The rest of the letter paints the picture of a Trump administration hellbent on purging the Obama-appointed security specialists tasked with defending White House computers in the wake of a 2014 breach.

The Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO), according to Vistakis, has been targeted by White House leadership for removal. He reports that leaders employed tactics such as “habitually being hostile” to OCISO members, withholding annual bonuses, and limiting workers’ job scopes in order to force them to quit.

Vistakis also says that, since his office was implemented, the White House has suffered no further incidents like the 2014 breach. However, it appears the Trump administration has justified the drawdown by moving the goalposts. He writes:

Also of concern is the metric leadership is leveraging to gauge success of the cybersecruity program. Measuring the success of your security staff by the frequency major compromises are identified versus the duration of time since the last compromise is absurd.

[coti]

1. Those people being purged need to go straight to the Secretary of State of battleground states

and offer their services.

[triron]

2. Duh. I wonder why that is? Oh, Putin doesn't like us to have cybersecurity.

[bdamomma]

14. of course not

rinse...repeat is being used again.

[LiberalLovinLug]

17. I have no doubt that Putin, or his troll hackers, are instructing the GOP as to what they need

To insure another win. I'm sure they want to make sure Trump wins even more electors this time. I can see Trump wanting this more than anything else. Well, he probably wants the popular vote too, but I don't think he'll ever get that.

I know its easy to always be demanding that Democrats make more of an issue of .....take your pick. And there just are not enough hours in the day. But it seems to me that #1 on that list would be securing the next election. If only for self preservation. But you'd think it would also be defending democracy as a whole. And that once that is lost, they should realize that they ain't coming back.

I just find it strange, as far back as 2000, Democrats just seem to have zero appetite for raising the issue much. Even though if they continue to ignore it, they will go the way of the dinosaur.

[ehrnst]

19. Democratic leaders are "continuing to ignore" what?

"zero appetite for raising the issue"

Very subtle...



https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-russia-hoax-continues-pelosi-says-mcconnell-is-an-accomplice-to-election-interference

https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/7819-2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-cybersecurity-202/2019/12/17/the-cybersecurity-202-pressure-still-on-mcconnell-after-425-million-election-security-deal/5df7b70288e0fa32a5140757/

https://apnews.com/efae10a149374eebb3192dbdb4b7cb5d

https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/455245-schumer-to-mcconnell-stop-blocking-election-security-bills

But do go on...

[Martin Eden]

18. It's risky to actively give secret information to the Kremlin

So it makes sense to just let them hack into the source of information and passively let them take it.

[UTUSN]

3. The core of SHITLER: Dismantling the government & democracy. He is a *TRAITOR*.

[2naSalit]

11. Absolutely!

[bluestarone]

4. WOW just WOW!

Senate rethugs are FULLY RESPONSIBLE for this BULLSHIT!

[C Moon]

10. This is WHY they are doing what they are doing. They know Putin's got their backs in 2020.

[2naSalit]

12. Yup,without a doubt.

[moondust]

5. Part of the plan.

Get rid of cybersecurity and Jared won't need a back channel to the Kremlin.

[dewsgirl]

6. Honestly, I thought they were already gone.

[Foolacious]

8. They were. This story is from October 2019. /NT

[ancianita]

9. Wonder what's happened over the last three months. Probably nothing, which was his point.

A lot could happen, though. But no white hat is likely to get in to observe WH operations.

A raid on WH servers could reveal way more than we've imagined.

[dewsgirl]

15. Thank you.😔

[bullwinkle428]

7. "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM...HE WAS A NEVER-TRUMPER!!"

[usaf-vet]

13. Anyone want to take a small bet. The Democrats know that the entire "perfect call" is stored on a

server in the WH meant for top-secret material. There has been speculation about what other possible things might be hidden on that server.

I'll bet It won't be long before we will be hearing leaks about how the server has been hacked by outside sources and erased.

[BadgerMom]

16. K & R

For visibility

[we can do it]

20. It would be nice if some of these professionals would stay on for the greater good.

I’m honestly getting sick of hearing of them giving up.