'Absolutely Outraged': Former Cyber Official Targeted by Trump Speaks Out After Cuts to U.S. Digital Defense

SAN FRANCISCO — Chris Krebs, the former government cybersecurity leader whom President Donald Trump targeted for investigation for affirming the integrity of the 2020 election, has spoken out against the Trump administration's gutting of cyber personnel in a scathing critique.

Krebs expressed his outrage at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, a cybersecurity conference, where he received applause from a generally reserved crowd of industry professionals. He criticized the second Trump administration for its repeated cuts to cybersecurity employees, contractors, and programs, describing the move as "absolutely outrageous".

"Cybersecurity is national security," Krebs said, emphasizing that the current state of affairs in the federal government's cybersecurity agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is unacceptable. "We all know that, right? That's why we're here. That's why we get up every morning and do our jobs. We are protecting everyone out there. And right now, to see what's happening to the cybersecurity community inside the federal government, we should be outraged."

Since January, the Trump administration has made repeated cuts to cybersecurity personnel. The agency, which Krebs helmed during Trump's first administration, has been directed to cut probationary employees and advisory committees, and sent out two rounds of emails encouraging employees to retire. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees CISA, has also confirmed rounds of cuts.

In a statement to NBC News, a DHS spokesperson claimed that "over the years, CISA strayed from its core mission of defending against cybersecurity threats and protecting critical infrastructure." However, Krebs disputed this assertion, pointing out that the recent major hacking campaigns traced to China – dubbed Salt Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon – demonstrate the need for increased investment in cybersecurity personnel.

"I can see the policy arguments that we're trying to downsize government, streamline," Krebs said. "But when you've got Volt Typhoon, Salt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, whatever, every day knocking on our door, we're not moving forward." He emphasized the need for more Cyber Command, more intelligence collectors at the NSA, and more front-line defenders to combat cyber threats.

"We need more Cyber Command, more folks at the NSA collecting intel, we need more front-line defenders, threat hunters, red teamers, folks that are just doing [system administration], the basics," Krebs said. "We need more of that, not less. So that's my pitch: Make CISA great again."

Krebs has established himself as a popular leader among CISA staffers and in the cybersecurity industry, where he worked until recently. Trump's actions against him included rescinding security clearances at the firm SentinelOne, where he worked until he resigned this month.

Additionally, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit digital rights organization, has published an open letter defending Krebs. While it initially had only a few dozen signers and none representing major cybersecurity companies, one signer, Katie Moussouris, CEO of Luta Security, told NBC News that the industry generally supports Krebs but has been wary of angering the Trump administration.

"Everybody feels the same way I do," Moussouris said. "Nobody is authorized to say anything officially." Despite the challenges, it's clear that Krebs remains a vocal advocate for the importance of investing in cybersecurity personnel and programs, particularly given the current threat landscape facing the United States.