Trump administration fires members of CSRB, which investigates major cybersecurity cases, likely obstructing investigation into China's Salt Typhoon hack

On January 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Trump administration made the decision to immediately dismiss all members of advisory committees, including the Cyber Security Review Board (CSRB), which is expected to affect the investigation of Salt Typhoon, a Chinese government-affiliated cyber attack group.

DHS Advisory Boards Termination Letter | DocumentCloud
(PDF file) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25500093-dhs-advisory-boards-termination-letter/

DHS guts cyber review board as Trump moves against 'misuse of resources' - Defense One
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/01/dhs-cyber-review-board-cleaned-out-trump-move-eliminate-misuse-resources/402392/

DHS cyber review board cleaned out in Trump move to eliminate 'misuse of resources' - Nextgov/FCW
https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2025/01/dhs-cyber-review-board-cleaned-out-trump-move-eliminate-misuse-resources/402386/

On January 20, 2025, the day of the inauguration, the Trump administration signed several executive orders aimed at improving government efficiency and appropriate use of resources, and as part of that, decided to immediately dismiss all advisory committee members. The CSRB is particularly affected by this decision. The CSRB is an important investigative body established under the Biden administration and was in charge of investigating the ongoing Chinese hacking case known as 'Salt Typhoon.'

Salt Typhoon is alleged to have infiltrated the systems of telecommunications carriers in the United States and around the world, causing serious incidents including targeting communications of individuals close to President Trump and Vice President Vance.

Chinese government hacker 'Salt Typhoon' found to have infiltrated multiple Internet providers - GIGAZINE

One of the fired members, Chris Krebs, was the chief intelligence and public policy officer at cybersecurity company SentinelOne. In 2020, as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), he was fired by President Trump for arguing that there was 'no evidence of fraud in the presidential election.'

On the other hand, Republican House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, while acknowledging the need for personnel reform by the new administration, also emphasized the importance of the CSRB. Noting that the CSRB was in charge of important investigations, such as the unauthorized access to Microsoft's email system by a Chinese hacking group in the summer of 2023, Chairman Green suggested that 'the new DHS leadership should conduct a broad review of the committee's future, including appointing new members, reviewing its organizational structure, and even reconsidering its investigative methods.'

Brian Harrell, who served as DHS cybersecurity director in the first Trump administration, commented on the series of changes, saying, 'This is typical of any new administration. It has happened before and will happen again in the future.' He added, 'The Trump administration is looking to protect the country and mitigate risk quickly, and that requires ideological unity.'

However, there are concerns about the impact of the move on important ongoing investigations and changes to the nation's cybersecurity posture. The new Trump administration has indicated a policy of placing emphasis on 'ideological unity,' and this policy is expected to be reflected in future personnel selections.