Homeland Security Names New Cybersecurity Officials

The Department of Homeland Security filled out its cybersecurity team Monday, two months after Rod Beckstrom resigned as director of the department’s National Cybersecurity Center. He had clashed with the National Security Agency and complained about lack of funding.

[efoods]Taking Beckstrom’s place as director of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) will be Philip Reitinger, who is currently Homeland Security deputy undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). Reitinger, who also worked in cybersecurity forMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and fought cybercrime for the Department of Justice, will help to coordinate cybersecurity efforts across the government.

Reitinger will continue to hold his position at the NPPD, where he heads up Homeland Security-specific cybersecurity efforts. “Holding both positions simultaneously will allow Reitinger to provide broader strategic direction to the department’s cybersecurity efforts while ensuring preparedness and response capabilities across all federal computer systems,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It’s unclear how his role would shift as the White House brings in its new cybersecurity czar.

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This article was posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 8:15 pm

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