Microsoft Executive Tapped For Top DHS Cyber Post

krebsatwpost writes "The Department of Homeland Security has named Microsoft's 'chief trustworthy infrastructure strategist' Phil Reitinger to be its top cyber security official. Many in the security industry praised him as a smart pick, but said he will need to confront a culture of political infighting and leadership failures at DHS. From the story: 'Reitinger comes to the position with cyber experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, he was executive director of the Defense Department's Computer Forensics Lab. Before that, he was deputy chief of the Justice Department's Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property section, where he worked under Scott Charney, who is currently corporate vice president for trustworthy computing at Microsoft.'"

Comments

Its perfect .... for the NSA and CIA

[AHuxley]

The world sees the US security establishment using and trusting MS products.
MS must be good right?
Export orders and interoperability requests roll in from friends, allies, neutrals and some of the dumber freedom fighters.
MS profits, the US gov can share with its rendition partners in real time.
Think Condortel (1970's US/Latin American encrypted military network) with clippy.
http://www.crimesofwar.org/special/condor.html

Police, federal agencies and utilities around the world rush to upgrade.
The CIA and NSA have just software "back doored" the world- again.
Using MS for security is like handing out free Enigma units after WW2 or Iran using CryptoAG or the Soviets buying computer parts from the west.
The difference is MS software and stays in your country for generations (over decades of hardware and software upgrades).
But then does the US security establishment really eat its own dog food? ;)