{"id":12727,"date":"2021-01-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/20\/after-huge-hack-biden-security-picks-want-more-cyber-coordination-with-industry\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:54:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:54:43","slug":"after-huge-hack-biden-security-picks-want-more-cyber-coordination-with-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/cyber\/2021\/01\/20\/after-huge-hack-biden-security-picks-want-more-cyber-coordination-with-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"After huge hack, Biden security picks want more cyber coordination with industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Two top national security nominees advocated Tuesday for stronger federal cybersecurity and increased collaboration with contractors in the aftermath of a supply chain breach<\/a> that infiltrated numerous federal agencies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If confirmed, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and Avril Haines, President-elect Joe Biden\u2019s nominees for defense secretary and director of national intelligence, respectively, would start their jobs in the middle of the national security community\u2019s assessment of damage from a cybersecurity breach pinned on Russian hackers<\/a>. They gained access through software from SolarWinds, a major government contractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must elevate cybersecurity as an imperative across the government in order to defend the American people and U.S. critical infrastructure,\u201d Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee in his answers to the lawmaker\u2019s advance policy questions. \u201cAdditionally, the government must continue to strengthen its partnership with the private sector to foster greater information sharing and collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, federal investigators have discovered breaches at \u201cfewer than 10\u201d federal agencies, though the Pentagon and intelligence community haven\u2019t confirmed whether their offices were among the victims. Haines, who served as deputy CIA director and deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, found it concerning that the breach first came to light through cybersecurity company FireEye, instead of through U.S. government cybersecurity operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[I] absolutely share … concern that we\u2019re actually able to detect these because that\u2019s obviously absolutely critical to us protecting against them,\u201d Haines said before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. \u201cI think … it was pretty alarming that we found out about it through a private company as opposed to our being able to detect it ourselves to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the breach, Austin committed to reviewing the DoD\u2019s cyber posture and emphasized that Russia must be punished for infiltrating federal networks. In the advance questions, Austin stopped short of calling the breach an act of war<\/a>, arguing that designation \u201crequires a case-by-case and fact-specific determination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, malicious cyber activities could result in injury, death or significant property destruction,\u201d Austin wrote. \u201cThese activities would need to be considered in their totality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 19: President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the U.S. Capitol on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. Previously Gen. Austin was the commanding officer of the U.S. Central Command in the Obama administration. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An early January announcement from several federal investigators, including the NSA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, stated that the breach was believed to be an espionage campaign and \u201clikely Russian in origin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s the case, I think Russia should be held accountable,\u201d Austin said at the hearing. \u201cThat\u2019s my personal belief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who sits on both SASC and SSCI, called the breach \u201cthe greatest cyber intrusion in the history, I think, perhaps, of the world\u201d and said that the stovepiped nature of the U.S. national security apparatus needed to be addressed. Reed said one challenge for Haines will be developing a \u201cmore coherent, cohesive, integrated approach\u201d to dealing with cybersecurity threats, particularly from advanced nation-state actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under questioning from senators, Haines said the SolarWinds supply chain hack was a \u201cgrave threat,\u201d and the government needs new to improve its defenses against such attacks, though she noted that she hasn\u2019t received a classified briefing on the intrusion. In 2019, a report from ODNI warned of growing software supply chain hacks that provide an \u201cefficient way to bypass traditional defenses and compromise a large number of computers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo prevent a recurrence of this kind of attack, we need to close the gap between where our capabilities are now and where they need to be in order to deter, detect, disrupt and respond to such intrusions far more effectively in the future,\u201d Haines wrote in her questionnaire. \u201cIf confirmed as DNI, I will review the expert conclusions from the SolarWinds incident and the current intelligence about supply chain vulnerabilities and what steps may be taken to address any vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haines told senators that she would assess how the intelligence community can improve its cybersecurity partnerships with industry and the whole federal government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that the IC plays an integral role in detecting and warning against nation-state targeting of U.S. networks and infrastructure,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIf confirmed, I will examine how better collaboration between the IC and the rest of the U.S. government, coupled with closer partnerships with the private sector and our international allies, can enhance our ability to deter, detect, and mitigate cyberattacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Haines will review whether the intelligence community is allocating resources properly to face advanced cyber threats and will examine the adequacy of the IC\u2019s existing authorities to protect the digital infrastructure of the United States, she said. Austin pointed to a cyber-threat sharing partnership the department has with the defense industrial base and stated that the department should \u201ccontinue to look for ways to better integrate with interagency partners and the private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of the SolarWinds breach, the senators on SSCI wrote that they are worried about a \u201clack of mandatory threat information sharing between the private sector and government,\u201d adding that any information sharing from the private sector after the breach is voluntary. Haines would review the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInformation sharing between the IC and the private sector is increasingly important to ensure that our data systems and networks are secure,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIf confirmed as DNI, I look forward to reviewing the Intelligence Community\u2019s data sharing and information exchange relationship with the private sector, to engaging with IC experts and private sector leaders on what information is currently being shared, and to examining the efficacy of the current framework for sharing threat information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t