The White House document this week poses a significant threat to the idea that security is a nonpartisan issue.
A Reuters record noted that the major U.S. security vendors have not had anything to say publicly about the issue, as President Trump’s memorandum from this week targeted ex-CISA Director Chris Krebs and his present employer, SentinelOne.
However, a few brave security experts made a statement after the White House suspended security clearances held by employees of cybersecurity firm SentinelOne and lifted Krebs’s effective protection clearances.
Deepwatch Field CTO Chris Gray referred to the shift as a “potential significant setback for industry and federal digital defensive capabilities” in made to SC Media.
These modifications “have been carried out in contradiction with past operating procedures” and “demonstrate a personal background against those whom the administration has deemed to be enemies,” Gray said.
The targeting of a major security vendor “risks dividing the economy typically and cybersecurity firms particularly into’ Republican’ and ‘ Democrat’ when the work truly is non-partisan,” said John Bambenek, president of Bambenek Consulting, in comments to the outlet.
It is simple to see why none of this is in any way beneficial for U.S. computer security, which is, of course, a fundamental component of current national security.
The main problem is not the White House’s action’s immediate effect. Less than 10 employees at the company have these certifications, according to a statement from SentinelOne, and it anticipates that the move won’t “materially effect our business in any way.”
Instead, it’s the symbolic message of Trump’s decision that we need to be most concerned about, which has effects not just for SentinelOne but also for all security sellers.
In addition to the assertions made by Gray and Bambenek, I would add that Trump’s order intends to require security vendors to start weighing hiring candidates who have previously had issues with him or their leadership ( not exactly a brief list of people ).
Making the best interviewing decisions possible is of paramount importance for these vendors because it is the security vendors that provide so much of the technology needed to combat growing cyberthreats today.
Therefore, it may likely be just underscored that security needs to remain a nonpartisan problem and that militarization of this important area is bad for everyone if more protection vendors were to say anything about this action.