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Obama To Name Melissa Hathaway Cybersecurity Chief

hargrand writes "President Obama has found the cyber tsar to head his new White House office of cybersecurity. According to US press reports this morning, an announcement expected later today will confirm Melissa Hathaway is to come in as cyber chief, after being cyber coordination executive for the director of national intelligence."

16 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Tsar or Tsaritsa? by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative

    President Obama has found the cyber tsar ...

    Uh, shouldn't that be tsaritsa?

    Or is there something you know about Melissa that we don't?

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    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Tsar or Tsaritsa? by Samschnooks · · Score: 5, Funny
      Neither. Cyber-Dominatrix.

      She'll need to wear spiked heeled boots and a leather corset.

      I think I have issues.

    2. Re:Tsar or Tsaritsa? by Apple+Developer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Neither. Cyber-Dominatrix.

      She'll need to wear spiked heeled boots and a leather corset.

      I think I have issues.

      Mod -1 Creepy?

    3. Re:Tsar or Tsaritsa? by sexconker · · Score: 4, Informative

      FYI, "won't never" = "will, on at least one occasion", whereas "never won't" = "will always".

    4. Re:Tsar or Tsaritsa? by lysergic.acid · · Score: 4, Funny

      yea... that's not her. that's Faith Hill. why the hell would the chairwoman of the National Cyber Study Group be in a publicity photo with Tim McGraw?

    5. Re:Tsar or Tsaritsa? by couchslug · · Score: 4, Funny

      "I think I have issues."

      If she's hawt you do not have issues.

      If she looks like Janet Reno you have issues.

      If she looks like Janet Reno and dresses per your description, post pics because you are not alone.

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      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  2. Is she related? by neoform · · Score: 4, Funny

    If she's related to Ann Hathaway, she's got my support..

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    MABASPLOOM!
  3. CYBER by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Am I the only one who *hates* the word cyber?
    Is it a generational thing? Does it have something to do with Lawnmower Man?

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  4. Change by cats2ndlife · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If she can somehow become the poster girl for geeky women and bring more of those into our line of work to lighten up the workplace, that'll be awesome. Now that's progress my friends.

  5. I would have gone with... by GPLDAN · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Marcus Ranum myself.

    This woman helped politic the CNCI into existence.

    This editorial says more about the uselessness of that than I ever could:
    http://duvet-dayz.com/archives/2008/07/21/805/


    One of Obama's weakest appointments, and yes - I voted for him.

  6. why are we using the term in a democracy? by SuperBanana · · Score: 4, Informative
    Why do we keep using a term that means, essentially, monarch or "supreme ruler"? Last I checked, these people aren't even members of the cabinet.

    They're mid-level federal pencil-pushers, at best- and the only reason she got the job was because she was a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, which is basically a government consulting group (aka glorified money sinkhole.)

    If that's not a conflict of interest, I don't know what is.

  7. I think that's so funny by Dunbal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The US government appointing delegates with huge powers to regulate and oversee entire swaths of industry with very little personal accountability (heaven forbid!), and the irony in calling them tsars.

          Well when the "Land of the Free" finally stops being free, you won't be able to argue that you didn't see it coming.

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    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  8. Headline should be... by Legion_SB · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obama names another cyber post... despite poor economy.

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    'a';DROP TABLE users; SELECT * FROM DATA WHERE name LIKE '%'... if you're reading this, it didn't work.
  9. Re:What's the difference between a "cybersecurity. by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Gurlz iz rare in IT. The work/life balance sucks hard. I hope she knows that.

    Yes, because obviously being female and having only made it to a senior position appointed by the most powerful man in the world, she must be a clueless newbie in need of advice on work-life balance from Slashdot...

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  10. No picture, but more details by spun · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's her bio, from the announcement for an event, 'Cyber Security Breakfast with Melissa Hathaway' held last month.

    Melissa E. Hathaway is Senior Advisor to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Cyber Coordination Executive. She chairs the National Cyber Study Group (NCSG), a senior-level interagency body that was instrumental in developing the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) aimed at substantially improving the ability of the United States to secure and defend its critical cyber national infrastructure. In January 2008, Ms. Hathaway was appointed the Director of the Joint Interagency Cyber Task Force (JIACTF), which coordinates and monitors the implementation of the broad portfolio of activities and programs that comprise the CNCI. In discussions at the highest levels of the U.S. Government, Ms. Hathaway has articulated a holistic, integrated vision to bridge offensive and defensive missions and capabilities to provide a full situational awareness of the Federal network environment and the global cyberspace environment. Her management of the CNCI ensures that this vision takes into account all of the U.S. Government mission areas, including law enforcement, intelligence, military, diplomatic, and homeland security.

    Prior to her appointment as Senior Advisor, Ms. Hathaway was a Principal with the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, where her responsibilities focused on leading two primary business units: information operations and long range strategy and policy support. Her consulting efforts supported key offices within the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, including United States Strategic Command, United States Pacific Command, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Net Assessment, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Her work included the design and development of novel techniques for mapping social, business process, and infrastructure relationships. She also led the design and development of a methodology for evaluating new force options across the electromagnetic spectrum. Some of the more significant long range strategy and policy studies on which Ms. Hathaway worked focused on biotechnology, power projection, Asia, and other national security issues.

    Earlier in her career, Ms. Hathaway was employed with the consulting firm Evidence Based Research, where she performed research and developed databases to track economic and political issues in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, developed a model to detect the routes and modes and to estimate the quantities of cocaine movement into the United States, and studied other key issues in support of the Intelligence Community.

    Ms. Hathaway has a B.A. degree from The American University in Washington, D.C. She has completed graduate studies in international economics and technology transfer policy, and is a graduate of the US Armed Forces Staff College, with a special certificate in Information Operations.

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    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  11. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion