Donald Trump will take cybersecurity advice from, um, Rudy Giuliani

The transition team for US president-elect Donald Trump has announced that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will advise the incoming administration on how to secure America's digital infrastructure.

We're told that the Donald may hold meetings with senior private industry executives with experience in online security. Giuliani will be in charge of organizing those confabs, based on his extensive experience in the infosec industry.

"As the use of modern communications and technology has moved forward at unparalleled speed, the necessary defenses have lagged behind," the statement reads.

"The president-elect recognizes that this needs immediate attention and input from private sector leaders to help the government plan to make us more secure. Mr Giuliani was asked to initiate this process because of his long and very successful government career in law enforcement and his now sixteen years of work providing security solutions in the private sector."

Giuliani does have a long career in law enforcement as a lawyer in district attorney offices. After retiring as New York City mayor, he helped set up Giuliani Partners LLC, a management consulting and security business. While Giuliani was the front man for the operation, it's unclear what specific computer security knowledge he has, if any.

Certainly he didn't cover himself with glory on the security front as New York City's mayor. At the time of the September 11 attacks, Giuliani earned praise for walking the streets to reassure people, but there was a reason for this.

Mayor Giuliani decided to put the city's emergency response center in the World Trade Center, against the advice of his security officials, who felt it was potentially a top terrorist target and wanted the center in Brooklyn. As a result, the center, in Building 7 at the WTC, was destroyed in the attacks.

When you think about all of the top cybersecurity experts Trump could have picked, Giuliani is a really odd choice. But then again, he has always been loyal to Trump, and the president-elect is a man who rewards his supporters. ®