Top Cybersecurity Official Resigns

A look at the week of May 23 in public advocacy for the IT channel

Phil Reitinger, the Department of Homeland Security’s top cyber and computer crimes official, is resigning from his position.  A new audit reveals that although the Office of the National Coordinator has established security controls for the sharing of medical data, the controls omit the IT systems hosting the data, posing a significant security threat. Members of the Senate have mixed feelings on the cybersecurity plan released by the White House.

Top Cybersecurity Official Resigns — Phil Reitinger, the Department of Homeland Security’s top cyber and computer crimes official, has resigned just days after the administration launched its most ambitious cybersecurity initiative.  The Atlantic reports that the timing of his announcement was not meant to signal any disapproval with the White House.  Reitinger cited a desire to spend more time with family as the main reason for his departure.

National Coordinator Fumbles Health IT Security — Healthcare IT systems might be vulnerable to security breaches because a key federal office failed to set security standards for users' overall IT systems, reports Nextgov.com. HHS's Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has established application security controls in its standards for interoperability, or the sharing of medical data by different electronic health record systems. But those controls did not extend to the IT systems hosting electronic health records, according to an audit.

Lawmakers Express Optimism, Concerns Over White House Cybersecurity Plan— Members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee praised the Obama Administration’s recently released cybersecurity proposal but expressed concern about some remaining differences between the approaches of the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, says National Journal.  Specifically, Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman is standing by his call to establish a White House "Office of Cyberspace Policy" led by a Senate-confirmed official, something the White House plan does not note.