“… Paul Cunningham, the chief information security officer at the Veterans Affairs Department, is retiring at the end of February, Federal News Network also has learned…”
“Cunningham came to VA from the Energy Department in 2019. He began his federal career in 1984 when he joined the Navy and rose to Lt. Commander and retired after 22 years of service.
As CISO, Cunningham faced the tough job of modernizing VA’s cybersecurity efforts. The most recent Federal Information Security Management Act report found that VA continues to struggle, receiving a score of 2.4 out of 5 on the maturity scale from the inspector general and meeting only 70% of the Office of Management and Budget’s cross-agency priority goals. The Government Accountability Office gave VA a ‘D’ grade on the most recent Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard for its FISMA efforts…”
“Cunningham helped further VA’s efforts by supporting the move to DevSecOps where cybersecurity is part of the foundational capabilities.
He also helped lead the move toward implementing a risk management framework to improve the decision making around systems and data…”
“VA didn’t say who would be the acting CISO until a permanent one is named. The Senate only confirmed Kurt DelBene in late December to be the new permanent CIO…” Read the full article here.
Source: SBA CIO Bluestein takes leave of absence – By Jason Miller, January 31, 2022. Federal News Network.