Biden to Tap Former NSA Officials to Top Cybersecurity Roles

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden plans to name former National Security Agency deputy director Chris Inglis as the first national cybersecurity director, two people familiar with the matter said Monday, filling a post Congress created in December.

Biden also will announce he’s selected Jen Easterly, a former NSA intelligence officer, to head the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Rob Silvers, will be Biden’s pick to serve as the Department of Homeland Security’s undersecretary for policy, a person familiar with the matter said. Silvers served as DHS’s assistant secretary for cyber policy during the Obama administration.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the forthcoming appointments.

The nominations, first reported by the Washington Post, would be subject to Senate confirmation. They’d help round out Biden’s national security team at a time when cyber threats -- particularly efforts by Russia and other foreign powers to influence U.S. elections -- have taken on greater urgency.

A third former NSA official, Anne Neuberger, has been at the White House since the start of the administration, coordinating Biden’s cybersecurity efforts as deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology.

The Biden administration has said it’s moving quickly to respond to recent cyber attacks on the U.S., vowing executive action on a hack using SolarWinds Corp. software and working with Microsoft Corp. to resolve latest breach that company has faced.

Read more: Trust No One Becomes Mantra After Massive Cyber-Attacks

Administration officials have completed an intelligence review of alleged Russian misdeeds such as election interference and the SolarWinds hack that Biden ordered on his first day in office. The review sets the stage for the U.S to announce retaliatory actions soon, according to three people familiar with the matter.

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