[Infowarrior] - DHS Appoints MSFT Exec to Secure Government Computers

[Richard Forno]

DHS Appoints Microsoft Executive to Secure Government Computers
By Kim Zetter March 11, 2009 | 7:35:01 PMCategories: Cybersecurity

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/03/dhs-appoints-mi.html

You might not think it's newsworthy when the Department of Homeland  
Security fills a job vacancy. But it's news when a department that has  
security in its name actually appoints someone with security in his  
background.

Unfortunately, in this case, the security background comes courtesy of  
Microsoft, which might cause some to ponder the phrase "unclear on the  
concept."

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today that she was appointing  
Philip Reitinger to the position of deputy undersecretary of the  
department's National Protections Program Directorate. The job  
requires Reitinger to oversee the protection of the government's  
computer networks and work with the private sector to help secure  
critical infrastructures.

Reitinger comes to DHS from his job as chief trustworthy  
infrastructure strategist for Microsoft, a job that required him in  
part to help develop and implement strategies for enhancing the  
security of critical infrastructures.

But since many people in the security industry feel that Microsoft has  
played a large role in the lack of security (.pdf) with government and  
infrastructure systems, his appointment might be considered what some  
would call ironic (.pdf).

A DHS spokeswoman indicated that the appointment is a signal of how  
seriously Napolitano takes the issue of computer security.

Dan Geer, vice president and chief scientist at computer security firm  
Verdasys and one of Microsoft's chief critics in the past, said, "The  
theory is that the best security program managers are sadder but wiser  
-- that nothing focuses the mind like having been really close to the  
really ugly. As number 2 in security at Microsoft, Phil has been far  
closer to far uglier than anyone else on the planet, so we'll soon see  
if the theory is correct."

Reitinger, who served during the Bush Administration on the Industry  
Executive Subcommittee of the President’s National Security  
Telecommunications Advisory Committee, is an improvement over Scott  
Charbo, who held the DHS job last year after being promoted from his  
position as chief information officer of the DHS -- a promotion that  
was criticized on Capitol Hill. Charbo had come to DHS from the  
Department of Agriculture, where, as CIO, his focus was on integrating  
networks, not securing them.

Reitinger at least has a background and an understanding of computer  
security issues. He also has a strong background in computer crime  
issues. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, he was executive director  
of the Department of Defense's Cyber Crime Center, which includes a  
computer forensic lab and computer investigations training program.  
And before that, he was a federal criminal prosecutor for the  
Department of Justice where he served as deputy chief of its Computer  
Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

One of Reitinger's first tasks in his new job will be deciding what to  
do with the job that Rod Beckstrom will vacate this Friday. Beckstrom  
resigned last week from his position as director of DHS's National  
Cyber Security Center, where he was, essentially, the government's  
cybersecurity czar. Beckstrom expressed frustration in his resignation  
letter that DHS wasn't taking cybersecurity seriously, and he wasn't  
being given the resources to do his job. He also complained that the  
National Security Agency was moving to take over DHS's cybersecurity  
role.

A DHS spokeswoman wouldn't respond to those criticisms directly, but  
told Threat Level that Beckstrom wasn't a team player.

"He was not really doing what he needs to do and working with people,"  
she said. "The secretary wanted to bring someone in who was more a  
team player and was good at their job and knew what was going on. She  
has brought in someone who will really do something with this issue."