People Should Be 'Outraged' by Efforts to Shrink Federal Cyber Teams, Former CISA Head Says
As adversaries like China continue targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, Chris Krebs, the former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security director who defied President Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud in 2020 and was subsequently fired, said on Monday that the cybersecurity community should be outraged at changes the second Trump administration is making to cybersecurity staff in the federal government.
"Cybersecurity is national security," Krebs stated while speaking to a room of security practitioners on a panel at the RSAC Conference in San Francisco, California. "That's why we're here." He emphasized that the purpose of cybersecurity teams within the federal government is to protect everyone and ensure their safety, particularly against foreign threats like China.
Trump's second term is redefining federal cybersecurity, with leadership shakeups and budget cuts raising concerns about weakened defenses and growing foreign threats, even in core security agencies like CISA and other national intelligence offices. The NSA has recently seen major leadership changes that many fear will lead to the signals intelligence titan becoming more politicized.
Krebs acknowledged the White House's goal to streamline government size but insisted that the current situation with China is too critical to ignore. "When you've got Volt Typhoon, Salt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, whatever, every day, knocking on our door — we are not moving forward," he said, referring to Chinese government-tied hacking units that have accessed a range of U.S. critical infrastructure.
"We have to continue moving forward," Krebs emphasized. "We need more Cyber Command warfighters. We need more folks in the NSA collecting intel. We need more frontline defenders, threat hunters, red teamers, folks that are just doing [system administration], the basics." He stressed that the need for more personnel in cybersecurity is not less, but rather more.
"We need more of that, not less," he said. "So, that's my pitch: Make CISA great again." His words were met with applause from the audience.
Krebs is still vilified by the Trump administration, and President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month directing the Justice Department to investigate the former top cyber official and suspending security clearances held by individuals associated with Krebs. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has released a letter demanding that the president stop pursuing action against Krebs.
CISA has faced criticism for its efforts in combating misinformation on social media during the 2020 election and COVID-19 pandemic, which was seen as an attempt to suppress conservative viewpoints. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to reduce CISA's size and scope, while two senior advisors resigned last week over concerns about the agency's direction.
Additionally, hundreds of staff at CISA were notified that they would no longer support a cybersecurity threat hunting tool, and another is preparing for retirement. The cybersecurity industry was also shaken in April after an internal memo leaked indicating CISA would drop its flagship CVE Program.
A Call to Action
Krebs' statement serves as a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation and the need for sustained attention from the federal government and private sector. The recent changes to CISA and NSA leadership have raised questions about their ability to effectively combat cyber threats, particularly against China.
As Krebs emphasized, cybersecurity is not just a matter of national security but also of protecting people's lives. The time has come for action to be taken to address these concerns and ensure that the government is equipped to handle the increasing challenges posed by foreign adversaries.