White House cyber directors office set for more power under Trump experts say The Record from Recorded Future News

pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstateppElectionsppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp The Office of the National Cyber Director ONCD is poised to become a stronger force in the second Trump administration and will finally operate as the executive branch cybersecurity policy lead that Congress envisioned when establishing it in 2021 experts say pp President Donald Trumps selection of Sean Cairncross to lead the office signals that the administration plans for ONCD to run point on cyber policy across the executive branch during Trump 20 they said Cairncross is widely expected to win Senate confirmation pp Cairncross served as a deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser to the White House chief of staff in the first Trump administration where he provided counsel on a variety of issues including matters related to national security according to an official bio posted online pp He also worked closely with the presidents niece Lara Trump when she was leading the Republican National Committee pp While he has no experience as a cybersecurity leader Cairncrosss close personal ties to the president are considered a significant asset for the office which until now has been overshadowed by the National Security Council NSC pp The Biden administration cycled through three people at the helm of ONCD The most recent director Harry Coker came to the position as a career National Security Agency and CIA official and did not have a personal relationship with the president pp The NSC deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies Anne Neuberger essentially ran cyber policy for the Biden administration Neuberger left before Inauguration Day and Trump eliminated the position pp Cairncross is politically connected so that suggests hes got the clout to actually run things you dont appoint a politically powerful person if you intend to sideline the post said Jim Lewis a longtime Washington cyber insider  pp Think of it as ONCD at the pinnacle theyll guide both sides as the point Lewis said You have the NSC doing foreign policy and offensive cyber and CISA the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency doing domestic and defensive pp The choices of Alexei Bulazel Emily Goldman and JD Work to staff the NSCs cyber office underscore that the Trump administration intends to ramp up offensive cyber operations Lewis said National security adviser Michael Waltz is a proponent of being more aggressive against adversaries in cyberspace pp I expect to see more offense because the national security adviser says thats their goal said Mark Montgomery who played a significant role in promoting the creation of the ONCD as executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission I never heard Jake Sullivan say that Sullivan was Bidens national security adviser pp The White House did not respond to a request for comment Multiple congressional offices also did not respond to requests for comment or declined to speculate about ONCDs path forward pp When establishing the office Congress signaled that it intended ONCD to be the lead cyber entity in the executive branch by housing it inside the White House complex and requiring its leader to be Senateconfirmed  pp The office was designed to communicate the presidents cybersecurity priorities to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA and all other federal agencies handling cyber risk management or defending critical infrastructure ONCD leadership also was expected to brief Congress on how the government combats cyberthreats pp ONCD will spend a lot of time eliminating a hodgepodge of rules governing private industry said Brian Harrell who served as assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration pp The offices key initiative will be to remove bad policy and regulation Harrell said Like last time more regulation will be dismantled than introduced and this is a good thing pp Harrell said that the system as a whole will be much more functional with ONCD at the top CISA ONCD the NSC and the NSA had a problematic lack of communication on cyber during the Biden administration Harrell said  pp ONCD needs to play the US governments quarterback and turn into the authoritative resource for the president in times of cyber crisis he said pp Matt Pearl a former NSC director and special adviser for emerging technologies agreed that a collaborative approach is needed pp The various cyber offices and agencies must get along he said noting that dynamics between the NSC and ONCD are going to be really important to them being effective   pp Cokers lack of traction inside the White House was not his fault observers said  pp He likely would have slowly developed a more prominent role had Kamala Harris won the presidency Montgomery said But under Biden Montgomery said Coker had more limited power to get things done  pp Neubergers close relationship with Sullivan gave her the ability to get quick buyin for cyber initiatives Montgomery said pp In addition to the loss of Neubergers position the reduced staff size at the NSC cyber office also will benefit ONCD which has more bodies said Pearl who now serves as director of the technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies a think tank pp Still even as ONCD rises due to its size and Cairncrosss relationships the NSC will play an important part in the administrations cyber efforts due to its role convening the interagency to resolve policy disputes Pearl said  pp Neubergers team focused more on defensive cyber policy a role Congress intended ONCD would oversee Lewis and Montgomery said pp She pushed for a greater emphasis on offensive cyber actions but was constrained by objections from other government agencies Lewis said pp Anne had to wrestle with a very difficult interagency community Lewis said She felt frustrated at times about the difficulty of getting people to agree on offensive action but its not for lack of trying pp Lewis said its important to remember that a more beefedup offensive strategy alone isnt enough for success pp It has to be offense and engagement and these folks dont seem to be good at that he said of the Trump administration Its a good team but the question is how well they play on the field and we dont know that pp Regardless ONCD benefits from that sharper offensive focus at the NSC Montgomery and Lewis said pp The NSC has a different assignment now and it empowers ONCD to do the job theyre assigned to do They werent empowered before Montgomery said ONCD will come into its own in a way it didnt in the Biden administration ppSuzanne Smalleyppis a reporter covering privacy disinformation and cybersecurity policy for The Record She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop and Reuters Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek She lives in Washington with her husband and three childrenppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2024 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp