The United States Senate has confirmed Chris Inglis as the first-ever cyber czar for the US government.
According to Cyberscoop, the new role will play a key part in coordinating the government response to major hacks and other cybersecurity threats in the US as well as leading the implementation of cyber policy and strategy.
Inglis takes the position at a time when the US is facing an onslaught of cyberattacks and ransomware attacks. Recently, operations at the Colonial Pipeline – which transports over 100 millions of gallons of fuel daily from New York to Texas – came to a standstill after a ransomware attack by Russian ransomware group DarkSide.
US nuclear weapons contractor Sol Oriens also recently revealed that it has suffered a ransomware cyberattack allegedly by the REvil ransomware group.
Inglis – who spent close to three decades with the National Security Administration – will also coordinate cooperation between the government and the private sector on certain cybersecurity issues.
During his confirmation hearings, Inglis underlined the need for the US to address the growing ransomware crisis that has impacted various critical industries such as the fuel sector and healthcare industries, as well as calling for greater regulation of such industries.
Inglis added, “When [private firms are] conducting critical activities upon which the nation’s interests depend, it may well be that we need to step in and we need to regulate or mandate in the same way we’ve done for the aviation industry, for the automobile industry.”
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