The revolving door of government officials leaving the Trump administration makes the development of a cybersecurity strategy even more crucial, according to Internet Security Alliance (ISA) President Larry Clinton.
A day after John Bolton joined the Trump administration replacing HR McMaster as national security adviser, White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert resigned his post.
“With Bossert and other high-level administration officials resigning, it's more important than ever that we have a coherent approach to cybersecurity worldwide to fend off global cybersecurity threats,” said Clinton.
While the White House is remaining mum on the reason for Bossert's departure, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders commended him in a statement for leading “the White House's efforts to protect the homeland from terrorist threats, strengthen our cyber defenses, and respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters."
Bossert profile during his tenure as a White House cybersecurity adviser had risen in the wake of significant cyberattacks.
Referring to WannaCry as widespread, costly and “indiscriminately reckless,” President Trump's homeland security advisor, Tom Bossert, had said last December in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that “North Korea is directly responsible.” He promised at the time that the U.S. would continue to apply its “maximum pressure strategy to curb Pyongyang's ability to mount attacks, cyber or otherwise.”
But Bossert also proved not to be immune to hackers.
In one incident, a self-described U.K. “email prankster” managed to fool Bossert into believing he/she was President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and convince him into disclosing his personal email address.
The prankster shared the email exchange with CNN.
"Tom, we are arranging a bit of a soirée towards the end of August," the fake Jared Kushner said on an Outlook account. "It would be great if you could make it, I promise food of at least comparible (sic) quality to that which we ate in Iraq. Should be a great evening."
Bossert responded: "Thanks, Jared. With a promise like that, I can't refuse. Also, if you ever need it, my personal email is (redacted)."
