Acting U.S. Cyber Security Czar Calls It Quits

Melissa Hathaway, the acting senior director for Cyberspace for the National Security and Homeland Security Councils, has resigned from her position and will be returning to the private sector. She claimed to have taken the decision because of personal motives.

Ms. Hathaway took on the position of acting senior director for Cyberspace in February, after serving as senior advisor to the director of National Intelligence and cyber coordination executive, during the Bush administration. As part of her new duties, she was tasked to oversee an inter-agency review of cyber-security policies.

The report, which was completed in April, proposed the appointment of a White House advisor on cyber-space issues. In May, it was decided that the position of National Cyber Advisor would be created and that the new official would report to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

The new role has yet to be filled and some people have already refused to take on the responsibility. Ms. Hathaway has been seen as a prime candidate for the job, but, according to The Wall Street Journal, she recently fell out of favor with Obama's economic advisers. "I finished what they asked me to do. […] It's time to pass the torch," she said.

Meanwhile, White House Spokesman Nick Shapiro noted that, "We are grateful for her dedicated service and for the significant progress she and her team have made on our national cyber security strategy." He also stressed that President Obama was "personally committed" to finding the right person for the job of National Cyber Advisor and that a "rigorous selection process" was ongoing.

Ms. Hathaway is the second high-ranking official with cyber security in the job description to quit this year. Back in March, Rod Beckstrom, the director of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), resigned and complained of insufficient funding, staffing and lack of cooperation from the NSA. In June 2009, Mr. Backstrom was appointed as CEO and president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).