Dept of Homeland Security is opening a Silicon Valley office
Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has announced that the Department of Homeland Security will soon open a satellite office in the heart of Silicon Valley. The new location will serve a dual purpose: to solidifying the DHS's relationships with area tech firms, which have been rather strained over the past few years, and as a means of recruiting. "We want to strengthen critical relationships in Silicon Valley and ensure that the government and the private sector benefit from each other's research and development," Johnson told reporters during the RSA Conference on Tuesday. "And we want to convince some of the talented workforce here in Silicon Valley to come to Washington."
The DHS acts much like a "first responder" in cybercrime incidents, taking the initial investigative lead before coordinating these cases with other federal agencies. "We investigated 265 instances of the Heartbleed vulnerability, and in six weeks narrowed it down to two," Johnson said. And with an office tucked amid many of the companies that are directly affected by these crimes, the DHS hopes to respond even faster.
