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Report: Three Senior FBI Cybersecurity Officials Are Retiring

While cyberattacks on the U.S. are on the rise.

Several top cybersecurity officials are leaving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, even as cyberattacks have become a serious concern for election integrity, The Wall Street Journal reports. Scott Smith, the assistant director who runs “the cyber division,” Carl Ghattas, executive assistant director of the “national security branch,” and David Resch, executive assistant director of the “criminal, cyber, response and services branch,” are all reportedly leaving in the coming weeks for retirement or for the private sector. A number of other deputies—namely a senior cyber agent who “oversaw a Bureau task force addressing Russian attempts to meddle in U.S. elections”—have already left the FBI in favor of private sector work. One official told the newspaper that more departures can be expected, and experts said it was “abnormal” to see so many senior officials leave at the same time.