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China Security

DHS Terminates All Its Advisory Committees, Ending Its Investigation Into Chinese Telecom Hack (arstechnica.com) 120

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Department of Homeland Security has terminated all members of advisory committees, including one that has been investigating a major Chinese hack of large US telecom firms. "The Cyber Safety Review Board -- a Department of Homeland Security investigatory body stood up under a Biden-era cybersecurity executive order to probe major cybersecurity incidents -- has been cleared of non-government members as part of a DHS-wide push to cut costs under the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the matter," NextGov/FCW reported yesterday.

A memo sent Monday by DHS Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman said that in order to "eliminate[e] the misuse of resources and ensur[e] that DHS activities prioritize our national security, I am directing the termination of all current memberships on advisory committees within DHS, effective immediately. Future committee activities will be focused solely on advancing our critical mission to protect the homeland and support DHS's strategic priorities." The memo said advisory board members terminated this week "are welcome to reapply." The Cyber Safety Review Board's list of members included security experts from the private sector and lead cybersecurity officials from multiple government agencies.
"The CSRB was 'less than halfway' done with its Salt Typhoon investigation, according to a now-former member," wrote freelance cybersecurity reporter Eric Geller, who quoted an anonymous source as saying the Cyber Safety Review Board's review of Salt Typhoon is "dead." The former member was also quoted as saying, "There are still professional staff for the CSRB and I hope they will continue some of the work in the interim."

The Cyber Safety Review Board operates under (PDF) the DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), notes Ars. The review board previously investigated a 2023 hack of Microsoft Exchange Online and more recently has been investigating how the Chinese hacking group called Salt Typhoon infiltrated major telecom providers such as Verizon and AT&T.

DHS Terminates All Its Advisory Committees, Ending Its Investigation Into Chinese Telecom Hack

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  • by Powercntrl ( 458442 ) on Wednesday January 22, 2025 @10:47PM (#65111383) Homepage

    But you got meme coins and Gulf of America instead.

    Can't say we didn't warn you before the election.

    • or at least of 'Lago.

    • 6 dimensional chess, bitch! He has a plan! Yeah!

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @04:19AM (#65111663) Homepage Journal

      Is it me or is this an invitation for the Chinese, and pretty much anyone else, to hack the US as much as they like?

      Could be described as "light treason".

      • by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Yep, pretty much. Note that the attack that got its investigation killed here has not even been really stopped so far and that it remains unclear how exactly they got in. This is about as dumb and as destructive as it gets.

        But I expect the same level of "insight" to be applied in other areas in the next 4 years. If so, all that will be left pf the US in a few years will be a smoking ruin.

      • Is it me or is this an invitation for the Chinese, and pretty much anyone else, to hack the US as much as they like?

        Could be described as "light treason".

        Now, now, that can't possibly happen. All of the devices made in China are checked 4 times over to not have remotely executable code in them to shut down, send information back to the manufacturing nation, await instruction from a remote source or local data patterns.... or anything else other than their directly documented intended purpose. Chinese hacking is nonsense and I know that's nonsense because I read an article on Facebook and Fox News repeated the same information. That proves it's true and yo

    • But you got meme coins and Gulf of America instead.

      Can't say we didn't warn you before the election.

      I'm still trying to figure out how truthful and correct information can't get into the heads of those that are picture-and-finger-slide-washed. I have a few people I work with that are convinced there's a ship off the coast sending drones into NJ and getting angry at ME because I don't have more information. I gave them the information that the DoD expressly stated there is no ship and the drones are not a threat; it's just people fucking with the minds of those that can be fucked with because it's amusin

    • by mjwx ( 966435 )

      But you got meme coins and Gulf of America instead.

      Can't say we didn't warn you before the election.

      Doesn't matter how much we warned them...

      1. they won't acknowledge anything is wrong.
      2. when they have no choice to abandon 1, it'll still be your fault for it happening.
      3. if we just did it properly it would all work (on pixie dust and faerie farts).

      They have no self awareness, take no responsibility and seem to have no shame what so ever.

  • by hdyoung ( 5182939 ) on Wednesday January 22, 2025 @10:58PM (#65111391)
    I mean, think of the several thousand dollars per year they’ll save by cancelling all these remote MS Teams meetings.

    Let’s forget that these were advisory committees, meaning they were staffed by subject matter experts and high profile people in very important policy areas who probably charge a huge amount per hour, but were volunteering their time for free in order to help the government deal with thorny topics.

    Think of all the money Elon and Donald saved doing this.
    • by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @01:46AM (#65111559)

      You don't need subject matter experts when you got the bigly big brains of the Donald and the Elon. They're experts on everything!

      • This comment made me smirk bigly
      • by gweihir ( 88907 )

        They certainly think they are. Extreme Dunning-Kruger cases.

      • You don't need subject matter experts when you got the bigly big brains of the Donald and the Elon. They're experts on everything!

        What do you mean, "they"? The Don, "HE", knows *voice trails off here* more about [insert anything here] than anyone.

        He knows more about Mars than Stinky Musk. *trails off here again* He always has. He'll LET E-boy use everyone's money (except Don's) to get there first because it makes HIM, DJT, the winner because he allowed it to happen. He made it happen. It was only possible to happen because it was his idea. First. He can prove that. The enemy is.... fucking.. someone. There's an enemy. Don't

    • I mean, think of the several thousand dollars per year they’ll save by cancelling all these remote MS Teams meetings.

      Let’s forget that these were advisory committees, meaning they were staffed by subject matter experts and high profile people in very important policy areas who probably charge a huge amount per hour, but were volunteering their time for free in order to help the government deal with thorny topics.

      Think of all the money Elon and Donald saved doing this.

      You sort of caught my mind in a trap when you said they were subject matter experts. That's something for The Don to STOP before Stinky Musk even gets a chance to do anything about it. It's a game to win and the one to get there first WINS!

      Fuck poor assholes and people without a home in CA. Oh, shit, wait. There are some people with lots of money that lost their homes there. Better get into the act right away because there might be some..... thing... to take control of so... that..he..can... win. Yeah.

    • So, bureaucrats and corporate executives with high opinions of themselves. Sounds like a great way to waste time.

      Do you really think that 12 public and private sector bureaucrats are going to effectively investigate hacks in an accurate and timely manner? I don't. That's a job for a team of FBI agents, not a committee.

      • So, bureaucrats and corporate executives with high opinions of themselves.

        I don't know about these committees in particular, but I have some experience on other government and non-government (e.g. ISO, IEEE, GP, etc.) committees, and you never find executives on them, you find experienced engineers. By and large the government "bureaucrats" aren't really bureaucrats, either, but actual experts in the relevant fields.

        Do you really think that 12 public and private sector bureaucrats are going to effectively investigate hacks in an accurate and timely manner? I don't. That's a job for a team of FBI agents, not a committee.

        Exactly the opposite. The FBI doesn't have the specialized skills needed. The FBI has some folks with relevant skills, but they're rarely at the same level, because

    • People keep telling me that the government hires the best and the brightest, but now we get advice from the bester and brightester consultants? Which is it? It seems like most of these DHS employees are barely competent. Why aren't they fired and replaced?
      • People keep telling me that the government hires the best and the brightest

        It depends on the field. When what you need is political science, international relations, etc., the government is mostly competing with universities for talent, and it often can get really good people who prefer money over academic prestige. When what you need is medical doctors, security engineers or other technical talent from high-paying industries, they have to take people who will accept half the pay (or less) than they'd get in the private sector. Some will, because they feel like they can do more go

  • by ukoda ( 537183 ) on Wednesday January 22, 2025 @11:32PM (#65111431) Homepage
    If the cost to doing security reviews is to much them maybe they could outsource the security reviews to a Chinese company. I'm sure a Chinese company could review the security issues much quicker and for lest cost. What could possibly go wrong...
  • What it means (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ZipNada ( 10152669 ) on Wednesday January 22, 2025 @11:59PM (#65111447)

    The Salt Typhoon attackers are admittedly still securely embedded in the telcos, have access to whatever they want, and we don't know how to get them out. The federal team investigating this to come up with a solution was sacked. What does that tell you about this incoming administration?

    • Re:What it means (Score:5, Insightful)

      by garyisabusyguy ( 732330 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @12:14AM (#65111467)

      They are leaving America open to attack, so that they can use it as an excuse to give trumpy war-time powers, what else?

      • They are leaving America open to attack, so that they can use it as an excuse to give trumpy war-time powers, what else?

        So that's how he's going to stay in office. I see it all coming together now! /s

    • Re:What it means (Score:4, Insightful)

      by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @06:42AM (#65111805)

      Yep, great job. Like denying a pandemic when it is already a hot one. Oh, wait, they already did that with a massive unnecessary death toll last time. Well, guess they are just looking for new ways to do massive damage and then selling that as "success".

      Well, it is normal for the Republicans to sell the silverware and then the Democrats having to fix the damage. But this time they are trying to burn down the house...

    • The Salt Typhoon attackers are admittedly still securely embedded in the telcos, have access to whatever they want, and we don't know how to get them out. The federal team investigating this to come up with a solution was sacked. What does that tell you about this incoming administration?

      I'm sorry to actually say this without completely knowing I'm being a smartass....

      "It's time to play."

    • Did you think these 12 bureaucrats were doing the investigating? No, they were wasting time and getting in the way of the actual investigators.

      These committees are red-tape factories that serve no purpose except to waste the time of people doing actual work. They are a bad approach to management, but some people think they produce good optics. Looking like you're doing something is no substitute for results.

      • >> getting in the way of the actual investigators

        I smell a giant pile of bullshit. Who are these "actual investigators"?

  • by ayesnymous ( 3665205 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @02:39AM (#65111589)
    I thought Trump was anti-China.
    • by Savage-Rabbit ( 308260 ) on Thursday January 23, 2025 @04:38AM (#65111689)

      I thought Trump was anti-China.

      Trump is for or against whatever you pay him to be for or against ... He is 'transactional' which has become a very polite media safe word for 'obscenely corrupt'.

      • I thought Trump was anti-China.

        Trump is for or against whatever you pay him to be for or against ... He is 'transactional' which has become a very polite media safe word for 'obscenely corrupt'.

        Rape is a transaction in Trumpland. I see what you're trying to be nice about saying there. *vomit* /s

      • by mjwx ( 966435 )

        I thought Trump was anti-China.

        Trump is for or against whatever you pay him to be for or against ... He is 'transactional' which has become a very polite media safe word for 'obscenely corrupt'.

        You're not entirely correct there. Trump stands for one thing above all others, even money.

        Himself.

        • I thought Trump was anti-China.

          Trump is for or against whatever you pay him to be for or against ... He is 'transactional' which has become a very polite media safe word for 'obscenely corrupt'.

          You're not entirely correct there. Trump stands for one thing above all others, even money. Himself.

          Sure, but his primary measures of benefit to himself are (a) TV ratings and (b) money.

    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Trump has no clue what he is doing. Stopping an investigation into a still ongoing attack is about as dumb as it gets. The Chinese will have trouble stopping to laugh about this, it is so ridiculously abysmally stupid.

      • I think the answer is that he wants to cause so much chaos that people don't notice what he is doing to help himself behind the scenes.
        • by gweihir ( 88907 )

          Probably. Will make the disaster and damage he is causing significantly larger. However, how is he expecting to get out of this? Well, maybe he is not smart enough to even have that thought.

          • Fuck if he cares. He will have many walled compounds that he will fly between by helicopter with servants to do his every bidding. Why would he care what's going on outside?
            • by gweihir ( 88907 )

              Well, he might actually be a psychopath on that level, agreed. We know now that Musk is one.

          • This isn't just about you, but SERIOUSLY.. why do people keep thinking Trump is going to do anything for anyone? He has never shown any ability to think of anyone else but himself. Why would he suddenly start as president?
            • by gweihir ( 88907 )

              Well, what we can nicely see here is that a majority of the voters is not able to recognize a psychopath. Proven rapist, convicted felon, traitor that tried to prevent a legal government from taking power, unmensch, fascism apologist, deeply corrupt, all apparently not obvious enough.

              And now he thinks nobody can get to him. Great. We rally have to hope some isreali killer team takes him out or something.

    • I thought Trump was anti-China.

      Trump is pro- or anti- one thing, and one thing only. He is pro-Trump.

      Trump does not give one tenth of one fuck about this nation. He is sure that no matter what happens, he will land on a big pillowy cloud of money and white privilege.

      In my not so humble opinion, Trump's presidency is a primarily Russian but also Chinese and Saudi attack on our nation. Those are the nations that bankrolled his ascendancy. "Follow the money" always works* in a capitalistic system, as the whole developed world runs under.

      *

    • He's also anti-waste and anti-bureaucracy. This committee wasn't investigating a damn thing, it was providing a redundant and time-consuming layer of management over a team of investigators who had real work to do.
  • Or will Trump let China take Hawaii because he doesn't have a golf course there?

    • Or will Trump let China take Hawaii because he doesn't have a golf course there?

      They're not on his radar because there isn't money coming out of Hawaii to him. They refuse to let people take lava rocks off the island; it's a big deal. Wait a damn second.... lava rocks, deal, BIG deal. There's money to be made! Hawaii is officially on the radar! Now the ocean to get from the continental U.S. to the island needs to be renamed, and China needs to be diverted by a huge wall from the core of the planet, past the moon, now needing his name attached to it to mark his spot. Ideas for him

  • by gweihir ( 88907 )

    Really, really dumb. Such primitive tactics to "cut cost" will turn out to be hugely expensive.

  • Three Days.

    1. Pardoned people who brought violence on the Capitol police (that's not a thumbs up to the police).
    2. Pardoned a high level drug dealer (who tried to use hitmen).
    3. Exiting from the WHO, again.
    4. Dismantling security advisory committees.

    The impacts of the immigration lockdown will take a couple of months to show, as certain industries are drained of low cost workers. I'm feeling confident they will go overkill on that as well (and then juice the legal side to the benefit of their cronies).

    • Not a peep about inflation or grocery prices. They're trying to spin the Stargate AI investment as some cure for cancer. AI can't even correctly summarize a movie plot for me.

  • And this was a committee of 12 bureaucrats and 0 investigators. No investigation would be halted by disbanding a panel of bureaucrats. If anything, the investigation will be completed faster and with better results.
  • An Executive Order issued Monday [whitehouse.gov] implemented a full hiring freeze on all Federal positions within the executive branch, except for military recruitment or positions related to public safety or national security. The positions cut within these advisory committees meet that definition.

    That said, several departments are announcing broad exemptions to that hiring freeze [govexec.com]. Whether these advisory committees meet the criteria to be exempted remains, as the saying goes, a game-time decision.

"What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite." -- Bertrand Russell, _Sceptical_Essays_, 1928

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