John C. Inglis, the former deputy director of the National Security Agency, is expected to be tapped by President Biden to head the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, according to a report late Sunday.
The Washington Post reported that the post is a White House position. The paper said Inglis, who spent eight years in the position at the NSA, is expected to be confirmed with ease. The position was created at the end of last year and will likely have to face growing security threats posed by foreign actors.
The expected Monday announcement comes weeks after reports surfaced that suspected Russian hackers gained access to government email accounts, including one belonging to former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, the Associated Press reported. The accounts were accessed by what is known as the SolarWinds intrusion.
An inquiry by the AP found new details about the breach at DHS and other agencies, including the Energy Department, where hackers accessed top officials’ schedules. At least nine federal agencies were hacked, along with dozens of private-sector companies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report