Top Pentagon Cybersecurity Official Resigns

Senior cybersecurity formal Katie Arrington has resigned from her position at the Pentagon.

Arrington has been on administrative go away from her function as the main information security officer for acquisition and sustainment (A&S) at the Office of Protection (DoD) given that Could 2021. The CIO’s Gamma security clearance was suspended by the National Security Company (NSA) immediately after she was accused of improperly disclosing prime-secret data to a DoD contractor. 

Mark Zaid, Arrington’s lawyer, stated his client had resigned in protest of the DoD’s current determination to move the Cybersecurity Maturity Product Certification (CMMC) Method from the DoD’s business office of A&S to the DoD CIO’s workplace.

Arrington, who beforehand served as a Republican South Carolina point out legislator, was appointed by the Trump administration to build the CMMC system at the DoD.

In her resignation letter dated February 7, Arrington alleged that the suspension of her clearance was “politically influenced” and described the allegations produced in opposition to her as “false accusations” which have not been substantiated by the DoD and NSA officers.

Arrington said the Air Drive Workplace of Specific Investigations (AFOSI) “could not recognize any nefarious intent which would warrant a prison or counterintelligence investigation” soon after examining her alleged disclosure.

A lawsuit filed by Arrington from the DoD/NSA in October 2021 about the allegations was settled in January by the DoD, who Arrington claims paid all legal professional service fees.

Arrington wrote: “It is a pretty unhappy day for our country when the sustained and incredibly impactful contributions of a devoted member of the Senior Government Service are dismissed because of bogus accusations with no rationale and their association with the past administration and ridiculous inner-to-DoD electricity grabs.”

She ongoing: “I never ever approached my public service in a partisan manner, but my services and my fantastic title was [sic] disparaged with out foundation and in a totally partisan fashion.”

Arrington alleged that her clearance was suspended due to the fact she was in the process of filing a hostile operate natural environment declare against deputy assistant secretary of protection Jesse Salazar.

Just after Arrington was put on go away, Salazar took in excess of the administration of the CMMC system. On February 2 2022, deputy secretary of defense Kathleen Hicks executed a memo to dissolve Arrington’s overall business and work. 

Some components of this posting are sourced from:
www.infosecurity-magazine.com