According to an announcement made by the office last year, Chase will support the department’s CIO office, a position now held by deputy CIO Lisa Schlosser, who also is serving as the department’s acting CIO and senior IT adviser. Acting Director Beth Cobert is expected to return by the end of the year.
The shuffling of officials was precipitated by accusations following last year’s breaches. OPM’s cyberprogram was formerly co-led by director of IT security policy Andy Newton, who left last May.
In his first months as the department’s first CISO, reports indicate Chase has focused on patching vulnerabilities that might lead to a recurrence of last year’s events, and continuing deployment of a continuous monitoring system.
A 30-day “sprint” effort launched last year in the wake of the attacks was intended to shore up federal defenses, but some reports indicate that large holes remain in the government’s infrastructure, jeopardizing the personal information of all Americans.