2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/DHS/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Federal security officials have created a new level of defense aimed at protecting banks, energy companies and other structures from massive cyberhacking attempts, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Tuesday [7-31-18] in New York. The announcement of the National Risk Management Center, a physical space that was created inside DHS, was made as Nielsen called out Russia for meddling in the 2016 election in her most forceful public comments to date on the matter. But she still stopped short of endorsing a key US intelligence finding that Russia interfered with the aim of helping President Donald Trump’s candidacy…The National Risk Management Center is expected to focus on financial services, telecommunications and energy sectors, Nielsen said at the National Cybersecurity Summit in Lower Manhattan…The new center will include what Nielsen called 90-day ‘sprints’ starting immediately to identify key priorities and to conduct joint risk assessments. Cross-sector exercises will also start this fall. The plan is to work with federal partners in the private sector to help identify, assess and prioritize risks to protect national critical infrastructure, Nielsen said. Government officials were spurred to create the new measure as security officials have warned that cyberattacks are ongoing and that a hack of key infrastructure could have disastrous effects.”
–Mark Morales, “Nielsen announces new efforts to defend against cyberattacks,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 31, 2018 1:41 pm