Randy Vickers, the director of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US Cert) abruptly abandoned his post on Friday when he tendered his resignation immediately.
The resignation came via an email penned by acting assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications, Bobbie Stempfley, and obtained by InformationWeek. The authenticity of that email has since been confirmed by a US CERT spokesperson, speaking on conditions of anonymity, according to Information Week.
US Cert is the arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) charged with protecting the US from cyberattacks.
The reasons for Vickers resignation remain unknown, but various reports speculate the move has to do with a recent slew of attacks on a number of government affiliated organizations including the FBI, CIA, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Lee Rock, a deputy director at US CERT will act as interim director until the DHS names a new director.
“We are confident that our organization will continue its strong performance under his leadership,” wrote Stempfley.
