The same week that the acting White House cyber chief stepped down, the Homeland Security Department has lost one of their cybersecurity officials. The Washington Post reported that Mischel Kwon submitted her resignation as the director of DHS' U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, which was established in 2003 to coordinate the government's response to cyberattacks.
According to the report, Kwon's colleagues said she was frustrated by bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of authority to fulfill her mission -- sentiments not unlike those expressed by Rod Beckstrom when he resigned as director of the National Cybersecurity Center in March. Kwon will join RSA's Worldwide Professional Services unit as vice president of public sector security solutions.
A week ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Melissa Hathaway resigned as senior director for cyberspace for the National Security and Homeland Security councils, removing herself from the running to be the much anticipated White House cyber coordinator.
Do these high-profile departures signal an exodus of federal cybersecurity leaders? Perhaps, if the Obama administration continues to stall on naming an individual to the cyber coordinator role. As one former intelligence official told Nextgov last week, the administration's failure to appoint a White House cybersecurity coordinator "has created a wait-and-see attitude," which leaves anyone in any position of authority ineffective.
No one person can face the massive challenge of cybersecurity alone, and yet that may be exactly what the cyber coordinator must do if lack of direction drives out federal government's already sparse cybersecurity workforce.
COMMENTS
This is the story right across public sector IT, not just within the US, but in other Western Government's civil services too. I work in the UK, and turned down a role within the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office last year, partly because there appeared to be so little scope and challenge to the work. In my experience, many skilled technology professionals choose not to work in the public sector because of the bureaucracy, dithering and wastefulness that characterises the organisations in that sector and their management. When people can easily find alternative roles in forward-thinking private sector firms, where they get to work on meaningful cutting-edge projects that offer real challenges and real scope to address those challenges, it's foolish for the Public Sector to continue to think they can treat people disrespectfully and expect them to hang around for more.
Rachel 01/13/10 05:48 am ET
You keep reporting about the "federal government's already sparse cybersecurity workforce". Do you work for Bill Gates? This sounds like a chant he has used, followed by "We need more H1-B workers, we need more H1-B workers".
I say BALONEY to both. The government MAY be short of cybersecurity workers, but there are plenty of us out here, unemployed and underemployed. Perhaps you should start reading the other headlines (in other publications) about how InfoSec / IA employees are being laid off all around the country. Don't you know that we are the ones that are last hired, first fired?
And as for a few senior people leaving their positions, so what? I'd look at the top and find out WHY there isn't an organization structured with the muscle necessary to mandate cybersecurity. His name starts with O.
Now the news, presented to Congress of course, is that there aren't any cybersecurity people with business backgrounds. Again I say BALONEY: I'll put up my Business Management Degree, my MBA, and my 30 years experience, including departmental responsiblity and P&L responsibility as collateral. Are there any 22 year olds with that background? No. Well, I guess they are right - there is a shortage of 22 year olds with 30 years experience.
Eoghan Farquhar 08/12/09 10:38 am ET
Until the Federal Government takes the Cybersecurity threat as real - good government security people will find greener pastures in the private sector. Why should they stay?
Michael Baker 08/11/09 07:45 am ET