Ouch?
Hackers involved in what has become known as the SolarWinds breach accessed email accounts of top officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) along with other personal information of senior federal officials, the Associated Press reported Monday.
According to the AP, former Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf‘s email account was breached as part of the wide-reaching effort by suspected Russian hackers, along with the email accounts of DHS employees responsible for carrying out cybersecurity activities.
The incident, which is one of the largest cybersecurity breaches in U.S. history, also reportedly allowed the hackers to access the private schedules of former Energy Secretary Dan Brouilette and other senior officials at the agency. The Department of Energy did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. …
This is the first time that I learn that a certain Dan Brouillette was once Secretary of Energy.
No doubt my ignorance will be mocked and ridiculed at the next Beltway or Oil Patch cocktail party I attend – especially when I can’t even recognize him.
Don’t worry DSD. Cabinet members often don’t last the full term during an administration, so it is hard to remember them, especially when they are not in the news that often. I sometimes struggle to remember the names of both US senators from each of the states. For example, why would anyone remember Mike Crapo ( other than because of his odd name). I just tried to remember the names of the two senators from each state, and I am embarrassed to admit that I struggled in a few states. And don’t even begin to ask me to name the GHWB cabinet!
At a meeting of mayors of some of the largest US cities, Ronald Reagan greeted his only black cabinet member (Sam Pierce of HUD) by asking, “Mr. Mayor, How are things in your city?”
Especially during the last Administration, when the president treated the Cabinet as if it were his own personal staff, and turned them in and out (when unhappy) faster than his wives and girlfriends. He also liked having acting Secretaries, whom he could flip faster than condos without pesky oversight.