A senior executive with Intel Corp's McAfee anti-virus software division was named the top cyber official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano named Phyllis Schneck the new deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity in the department's National Protection and Programs Directorate.

Schneck, chief technology officer for McAfee's global public sector unit, has worked in security and infrastructure protection for more than 14 years. She is the chairman of the board of directors of the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance - a partnership between corporations, government and law enforcement to combat international cyber crime.