Security News > 2021 > February > White House Names SolarWinds Response Leader Amid Criticism
After members of Congress criticized as "Disorganized" the U.S. response to a massive breach of government departments and private corporations discovered late last year, the White House announced Wednesday that a senior national security official had been leading the effort since the first day of the Biden administration.
Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emergency technology, was in charge of remediating the hack, identifying issues with the federal government's response and launching a study aimed at preventing similar incidents, the White House said.
The White House response on Wednesday pointed to Neuberger's role since Biden's inauguration.
"In the first weeks of the Biden administration DNSA Neuberger has held a series of consultations with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress on our approach to SolarWinds specifically and our cybersecurity strategy broadly," said Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
"The federal government's response to date to the SolarWinds breach has lacked the leadership and coordination warranted by a significant cyber event, so it is welcome news that the Biden administration has selected Anne Neuberger to lead the response," the statement said.
The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing with cybersecurity experts to discuss the SolarWinds hack and other issues.