DHS Director Puts a Stop on All Advisory Committee Membership for National Security

• The Director of the DHS asked to dissolve all memberships of its advisory committee.
• Affected bodies include CISA’s CSRB and National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
• The move is said to impact the investigation of the ongoing AT&T hacking.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Law Enforcement Centers (FLETC) announced eliminating all the members of its advisory committees in alignment with the misuse of resources. They were welcome to reapply, the termination letter read.

The director of the U.S. DHS FLETC Benjamine C. Huffman ensured that the DHS is centered around national security and that the future committee will focus only on advancing its critical missions, including protecting the homeland and supporting its strategic priorities. 

The affected members include bodies that work on issues related to telecommunications, science, and technology, such as the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Boards, 

The USSS Cyber Investigations Advisory Board, Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, and National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee are also on the list.

The firing of several advisory committees that advise government officials on cybersecurity and other matters is said to impact the investigation of the massive telecommunications services hacking attributed to China-based entities and cybercriminals. 

The AT&T hacking shed light on the involvement of a U.S. Army soldier and hacker using the Kiberphant0m alias in leaking sensitive information, including call records of FBI agents and officers. 

Several instances reported in the past drew attention to the exploitation of the infrastructure of one of the bodies in the hands of China-based or other threat actors. 

TechNadu contacted the DHS for a statement on the move. We will update this article upon receiving a response from them. There are speculations related to the members that will remain with the DHS after this action comes into effect.