Krebs, one of the few Trump administration officials with widespread bipartisan support and admiration, has been expecting to be fired since just after Election Day, according to three people familiar with his thinking.

Krebs withdrew from an event planned for early December without giving a reason, said a person familiar with the planning of that event.

His agency has been at the forefront of federal efforts to protect U.S. elections from foreign hacking and interference, and his efforts have drawn praise from people in both parties. But Krebs has told people that he believes the White House is unhappy with his efforts to combat disinformation about voter fraud — claims that have primarily been coming from Trump and his allies. And that could make him the latest national security leader to lose his job amid a post-election purge that has already forced out Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other top Pentagon officials.

The White House declined to comment on the issue, and CISA declined to discuss it in detail. “Chris Krebs is the Director of CISA,” agency spokesperson Sara Sendek told POLITICO.

Reuters first reported that Krebs has told associates he expects to be…

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by Joe Panettieri • Oct 2, 2020

Each business day, MSSP Alert broadcasts a quick lineup of news, analysis and chatter from across the managed security services provider ecosystem.

• The Content: Written for MSSPs, SOC as a Service (SOCaaS), Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and MSP security providers — and those who need to partner up with such companies.
• Frequency and Format: Every business morning. Typically one or two sentences for each item below.
• Reaching Our Inbox: Send news, tips and rumors to Joe@AfterNines.com.

A. Today’s MSSP Alerts

1. President Trump, First Lady Test Positive: Worldwide financial markets declined Friday after President Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Both President Trump and the first lady are now isolating at the White House and doing “well at this time,” the White House physician reports. Here are the latest updates from ChannelE2E.

2. SIEM & Continuous Intelligence Platform: GuardSight, a Top 250 MSSP for 2020, cybersecurity as a service, and managed detection and response (MDR) company, has incorporated the Sumo Logic Continuous Intelligence Platform into its service offering, the…

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Cybersecurity

GAO report calls for White House cyber director

• By Lauren C. Williams
• Sep 22, 2020

 

Centralized, clearly defined leadership will help government enforce cybersecurity policies and respond to breaches, but legislation might be needed to bring that about, according to a new watchdog report.

The Government Accountability Office found there were insufficient leadership responsibilities outlined in the Trump administration’s 2018 national cyber strategy and the subsequent implementation plan in 2019 and recommended that Congress restore the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator position or designate another leadership post with policy and budget authority to respond to cybersecurity threats.

“Without effective and transparent leadership that includes a clearly defined leader, a defined management process, and a formal monitoring mechanism, the executive branch cannot ensure that entities are effectively executing their assigned activities intended to support the nation’s cybersecurity strategy and ultimately overcome this urgent challenge,” states the report released Sept….

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Washington, DC, 7 September 2020. – The White House has issued last week its fifth Space Policy Directive (SPD 5) outlining cybersecurity principles of space systems and operations.

The memorandum signed by US President Donald Trump sets forth key cybersecurity principles for space systems and intends to serve as “the foundation for the United States Government approach to the cyber protection of space systems” by defining best practices, improving cybersecurity behaviors and fostering cooperation between agencies, the commercial space industry and other non-government space operators.

The principles outline the use of “risk-based, cybersecurity-informed engineering” in the development and operation of space systems and supporting infrastructures and the development and implementation of cybersecurity plans incorporating

• the protection against unauthorized access to critical space vehicle functions through appropriate authentication or encryption measures;
• the physical protection measures for space facilities;
• the protection “against communications jamming and spoofing, such as signal strength monitoring programs, secured transmitters and…

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Confirmed coronavirus infections have surpassed the 10 million mark worldwide.

A tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University registered the grim milestone Sunday, after India and Russia added thousands of new cases. The United States has confirmed more than 2.5 million infections, the most in the world.

Globally, the Hopkins tally has reported nearly 500,000 deaths.

While Hopkins reports only confirmed coronavirus cases, experts believe the true number of people who have been infected could be as much as 10 times that figure, given that so many people can’t get tested or may have the virus without showing any symptoms.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— China virus cases stabilize as Italy sees drop in deaths

— What to wear: Feds’ mixed messages on masks sow confusion

— Nurses, doctors feel strain as virus races through Arizona

— Vice President Mike Pence has called off campaign events in Florida and Arizona for this coming week as the states experience a surge in new coronavirus cases. The White House says Pence will still travel to those states to meet with…

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