Cybersecurity Director's IP Address Not Renewed

The administration announced yesterday that acting National Security Council senior director Melissa Hathaway would be leaving her job as of mid-August, saying that she had resigned. But Hathway, in reality, is completing a task and will not be around to oversee it. She was detailed to the NSC from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for two periods, the last of which ends next week. She will stay on through 8/21, by which point the administration hopes to have appointed a new director for the cybsersecurity staff at the NSC.


Nick Shapiro, a White House spokesman, sent along this update about the progress of the search:

Cyber security is a major priority for the President which is why shortly after taking office he directed his National Security Council and Homeland Security Council to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the federal government's efforts to defend our information and communications infrastructure and to recommend the best way to secure these networks and our prosperity. The White House released the report and announced the creation of a cyber security coordinator who will have direct access to the President and that the Obama administration is pursuing a new comprehensive approach to securing America's digital infrastructure. The President is personally committed to finding the right person for this job, and a rigorous selection process is well underway.

Hathaway's review was not well recieved, but it was hardly her fault: she had 60 days and fewer than 10 staff members to complete a task that should have been given more resources and time to complete.