Government security , Critical Infrastructure Security , Leadership Trump’s CISA director nominee exits consideration for leadership role April 23, 2026 Share By SC Staff (Adobe Stock) Nearly a year after being selected by President Donald Trump to spearhead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Sean Plankey has decided to pull out from the nomination process, according to Nextgov/FCW . Plankey withdrew his nomination for CISA after a political impasse linked to Coast Guard cutter contract disputes involving Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Despite eventually departing his Coast Guard advisory position to avoid conflicts of interest, Plankey's nomination continued to be opposed by Scott. Repeated delays, along with uncertain Senate support, ultimately prevented the appointment, leaving CISA with no confirmed permanent director. House Homeland Security Committee's leading Democrat Bennie Thompson of Mississippi urged that a qualified leader be appointed immediately to help bolster critical infrastructure and election security against Iran and other adversarial threats. "If there is any hope that we can rebuild CISA after it has been decimated by the Trump administration, a qualified professional must be nominated and confirmed swiftly," said Thomspon. SC Staff Related Security Operations UK intelligence warns of widespread commercial spyware access by governments SC Staff April 23, 2026 The UK National Cyber Security Centre's report highlights an increase to 100 nations having access to these hacking tools, up from 80 countries estimated last year. AI/ML Forward-looking approach in combating AI cyber threats urged by Fed nominee SC Staff April 22, 2026 FedScoop reports that Kevin Warsh, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Federal Reserve, has encouraged the central bank to act preemptively in response to the rise of new AI models, such as Anthropic's Claude Mythos, that could threaten the financial sector. Data Security UK considers early exit from Palantir’s NHS contract amid data protection concerns SC Staff April 22, 2026 The contract, awarded to the US analytics company Palantir, aims to establish a centralized hub for NHS staff and patient data. Get daily email updates SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news Business Email By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Subscribe You can skip this ad in 5 seconds