‘You’re fired’ - Salt Typhoon investigative body gets the axe in US government cuts

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Experts investigating Salt Typhoon attack reportedly fired

Department of Homeland Security logo on a flag
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  • The board responsible for investigating recent Salt Typhoon cyberattacks has reportedly been fired
  • All DHS advisory boards cut to "improve efficiency"
  • Advisory board members told they are free to reapply in the future

The advisory board responsible for investigating the Chinese state-sponsored Salt Typhoon cyberattack which compromised numerous US telecommunications providers, and a wire-tapping backdoor used by the authorities, has apparently been fired just days after the inauguration of President Trump.

The Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) was one of many advisory boards working within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be cut in what has been justified in a letter by acting secretary of the DHS, Benjamin C. Huffman, as a way to “eliminate a misuse of resources.”

“Future committee activities will be focused solely on advancing our critical mission to protect the homeland and support DHS’s strategic priorities,” the letter continued.

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Back to square one

The Salt Typhoon cyberattack has been labelled as one of the most damaging cyberattacks against the telecommunications industry, with the CSRB acting as a transparent investigative body tasked with uncovering how the attack unfolded, and what vulnerabilities need to be addressed.

The letter further states that those terminated “are welcome to reapply” to future advisory boards. However, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, “As a practical matter, unless they bring original members back, they'd probably have to start from scratch,” meaning that all progress up to this point in the investigation has been rendered moot.

On day one, President Trump enacted over 200 executive orders including the introduction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory group with a mission to bring “competence and effectiveness to our federal government,” Trump said in his inaugural speech.

In the executive order, DOGE has been initially tasked with modernizing government network infrastructure and IT systems. The group has also been given access to a range of “unclassified” government systems, including agency records and IT systems, “consistent with law.” It’s unclear if the elimination of DHS advisory boards was on behalf of DOGE.

Via DarkReading

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.

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