The advisory board is a response to the recent DNC hack and subsequent email leak. | AP Photo DNC creates cybersecurity advisory board following hack

The Democratic National Committee is creating a four-member cybersecurity advisory board, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO on Thursday.

The advisory board is a response to the recent DNC hack and subsequent email leak that led to the resignation of former Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other top DNC officials.


“To prevent future attacks and ensure that the DNC’s cybersecurity capabilities are best-in-class, I am creating a Cybersecurity Advisory Board composed of distinguished experts in the field,” interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile wrote in a memo. “The Advisory Board will work closely with me and the entire DNC to ensure that the party is prepared for the grave threats it faces—today and in the future.”

Members include Rand Beers, former Department of Homeland Security acting secretary; Nicole Wong, former deputy chief technology officer of the U.S. and a former technology lawyer for Google and Twitter; Aneesh Copra, co-founder of Hunch Analytics and former chief technology officer of the U.S.; and Michael Sussmann, a partner in privacy and data security at the law firm Perkins Coie and a former Justice Department cybercrime prosecutor.

In the memo, Brazile detailed that committee’s response to WikiLeak’s email dump on the eve of the Democratic National Convention last month. Some emails contained personally identifiable information for supporters and others, she noted, adding that the release was intended to inflict maximum damage against the Democrats and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Brazile said the committee’s legal counsel has reviewed the information to determine who was impacted and how, and maintained that the DNC will inform the individuals who were affected next week.

“Those individuals receiving the data breach notice also will receive offers of assistance to help mitigate any threats to their financial security. Details concerning the breach and other pertinent information for victims will soon be available,” she said. “We understand that this incident is alarming to all who may be affected, and I share your anger at those who committed and abetted this act. Our focus now is preventing future attacks, strengthening our capabilities, and helping protect those whose data was stolen.”