On Tuesday, a day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the new U.S. president, the Department of Homeland Security told members of several advisory committees that they were effectively fired.
Among the committees impacted is the Cyber Safety Review Board, or CSRB, according to sources familiar with the board who spoke to TechCrunch, as well as reporting by other news outlets. The CSRB was made up of both private sector and government cybersecurity experts.
One person familiar with the CSRB, who received the letter informing them that their membership in the CSRB was being terminated, criticized the decision.
“Shutting down all DHS advisory boards without consideration of the impact was horribly shortsighted,” the person, who asked to remain anonymous, told TechCrunch. “Stopping the CSRB review when China has ongoing cyberattacks into our critical infrastructure is a dangerous blunder. We need to learn from Salt Typhoon and protect ourselves better. The fact this isn’t a priority for Trump is telling.”
“You can’t stop what you don’t understand and the CSRB was arming us with understanding,” the person added.
The person was referring to the CSRB’s review of the devastating recent breaches at several telecoms in the U.S., allegedly carried out by Chinese government hackers.
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Do you have more information about the Trump administration and its decisions and activities in the cybersecurity realm? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You also can contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.CISA spokesperson Valerie Mongello referred TechCrunch’s request for comment to DHS.
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In response to a request for comment, DHS provided a comment from an unnamed DHS senior official.
“Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer tolerate any advisory committee which push agendas that attempt to undermine its national security mission, the President’s agenda or Constitutional rights of Americans,” read the statement. The DHS spokesperson did not respond when asked to provide a name.
“In alignment with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security, I am directing the termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS, effective immediately,” read the letter sent to members of the CSRB.
Another person familiar with the matter pointed out that “it’s interesting that the rationale is ‘misuse of resources’ because all advisory board members get an excitingly rich salary of…$0.”
Katie Moussouris, a cybersecurity expert with more than two decades of experience, and a former member of the CSRB, told TechCrunch that “the people who serve as government advisors should be judged by skills and merit, not by political affiliation. I’m hopeful that these critical advisory board vacancies will be filled with the most qualified people without delay.”
The CSRB investigated the breach of U.S. government email systems provided by Microsoft, also allegedly carried out by Chinese government hackers. In March of last year, the committee published a report on the incident, which was widely lauded in the cybersecurity community.
Other DHS advisory committee members that are reportedly impacted by DHS’s decision are those dedicated to artificial intelligence, telecommunications, science and technology, and emergency preparedness.
