Biden to Nominate Chris Inglis, Jen Easterly to Top Cybersecurity Posts, Reports Say

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – President Joe Biden will nominate two former National Security Agency (NSA) officials, Jen Easterly and Chris Inglis, to high-level cybersecurity positions later in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Jen Easterly, a former counterterrorism and cybersecurity official at NSA with experience at the Obama White House will lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), while Chris Inglis, the former deputy NSA director, will become the first ever national cyber director, the journal reported.

Additionally, Biden is expected to nominate Rob Silvers as undersecretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security. He was engaged in protection against alleged Russian interference during the 2016 election, the report noted.

The nominations come in the wake of two recent cyberattacks, one of which, SolarWinds, the Biden administration has blamed on Russia. Moscow has denied the allegations as groundless.

Earlier this month, Biden requested $2.1 billion to be invested the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and $20 million for a new Cyber Response and Recovery Fund.