U.S. Cyber Security News: White House Chief Information Security Officer Reportedly Removed From Position

Cory Louie, the chief information security officer at the White House, has reportedly been removed from his position, according to a report from ZDNet.

The news has yet to be confirmed by the Trump administration, which had kept Louie on staff after taking office. Louie was first appointed to his position by President Barack Obama in 2015 and was tasked with protecting the President’s staff from cybersecurity threats.

According to the report, Louie was either fired or asked to resign last Thursday and was escorted from his office in the executive wing of the White House.

The Trump administration has remained silent on the departure, and those who worked with Louie have reportedly indicated former members of Obama’s staff are currently being targeted for removal from the White House.

Louie, who previously held security positions at Dropbox and Google and served as a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service, was appointed to the position of chief information security officer at the White House in 2015.

The role was created by President Obama as part of his Cybersecurity National Action Plan. The White House CISO is charged with maintaining the security of the White House’s internal networks and communications. The position also manages devices and data security for White House staff.

It remains unclear if a replacement has been appointed to Louie’s position, which may present some cause for concern.

It was reported during the transition leading up to the Trump administration that the incoming President was communicating with world leaders on unsecured phone lines and without being briefed beforehand.

While reports indicated President Trump eventually was given more secure, locked down device, he continued to use his unprotected Android phone after taking office.

The use of the device puts the President at risk of having his device hacked, which could lead to the phone’s camera and microphone being compromised. It could also allow a hacker to track the president’s location or use keylogging software to record what is typed on the device.

Trump isn’t the only one in the White House to have trouble with device security. Press secretary Sean Spicer may have tweeted out one of his passwords and accidentally forgot to clear the registration data on his website, which left a considerable amount of information about him publicly accessible.