Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will head up a cybersecurity group that will advise President-elect Trump and his administration on how to protect the government from hacks.
Giuliani said on Fox News Thursday morning that the aim of the group is to get the top technological people from private sector companies to advise the incoming administration on how best to protect the country.
“My belief is, as always, is the answer to cybersecurity is going to be found in the private sector,” he said. “That’s where we have the great creativity, that’s where we have a great amount of money and that’s where we have companies.”
Cybersecurity has become a big topic in Washington following the presidential election after the extent of Russian hacking into the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta became clear. Trump has ripped the Democrats for not having strong enough protections in place to protect themselves from potential hacks.
Trump’s transition team confirm the news later on Thursday, saying Giuliani’s status as a trusted friend and his “expertise and insight” in cyber security will be an asset to Trump’s White House.
“This is a rapidly evolving field both as to intrusions and solutions and it is critically important to get timely information from all sources,” the statement read.
The meetings will consist of senior corporate executives from companies facing, or that have faced, similar challenges to the government in the cyber security realm. Trump wants to hear their experiences and get their advice on how to apply what they’ve learned to government systems.
Bringing in private sector leaders will make the government’s computer systems more secure, the statement said.
“As the use of modern communications and technology has moved forward at unparalleled speed the necessary defenses have lagged behind,” the statement read. “The President-elect recognizes that this needs immediate attention and input from private sector leaders to help the government plan to make us more secure.”
Giuliani said the group would bring private tech leaders into the White House to meet with Trump on a regular basis. Giuliani’s role will be to coordinate the group, making sure meetings happen and the right people are meeting with Trump.
He compared the solution to strengthening cybersecurity to curing cancer, and said he believes there’s an answer out there but too many people are working independently and not coordinating.
“A lot of the solutions are out there, we’re just not sharing them,” he said.
