Acting White House head of cyber securityMelissa Hathawayhas resigned ahead of a president
Barack Obama making a permanent appointment to the post he created
in May.
Hathaway, who has been on loan from the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence, said she had resigned for personal
reasons, according to the
Wall
Street Journal.
The White House issued a statement expressing gratitude for
Hathaway's "dedicated service" and for the significant progress she
and her team have made.
The move confirms speculation that Hathaway is out of the
running to become the US national coordinator for cyber security,
according to the
Financial Times.
She was tipped for the job after leading the Obama
administration's
60-day review of the federal government's cybersecurity
capabilities.
New front runners for the post include former Clinton assistant
defence secretary Franklin Kramer and former White House IT
security advisor Howard Schmidt.
Hathaway is to leave her post on 21 August, but plans to
continue working in cybersecurity, according to US
media reports.