The departure staff has reversed an extended labor force. “We met [a] Previously important skills shortages. “The second employee said. “Most people are doing two or more full-time jobs [staffers]. ”
The CISA team that helped critical infrastructure operators attack hackers has been understaffed for years. The agency added support positions to the team after the Government Accountability Office review, but “most people were terminated,” a third employee said.
So far, CISA’s flagship plans have mostly been unscathed. These include the Hunting Threat Branch, which analyzes the threat, searches government networks for intruders and responds to violations. But some layoffs provide vital “backend” support for threat hunters and other analysts. “The tools they use can be enhanced,” said the first employee. But as people improve more and more, “we will start to have outdated systems.”
CISA remains “committed to the security and assurance of national critical infrastructure” and touted “the critical skills that CISA experts bring to combat every day.”
National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said the story was “nonsense”, adding: “CISA has no extensive layoffs and its mission is still completely complete.”
“We continue to strengthen our cybersecurity partnerships, improve AI and open source security, and protect election integrity,” Hewitt said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, our administration will make great strides in enhancing national cybersecurity.”
Partnership Issues
CISA’s external partnerships are the cornerstone of its efforts to understand and respond to evolving threats – especially hit hard.
Two employees said international travel has been frozen, and even traveled with foreign partners, even communicated online – with advanced approval. Staff said this hindered CISA’s collaboration with other network agencies, including Canada’s “Five Eyes” allies, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
CISA employees can’t even communicate with people from other federal agencies as they did before. Previously, regular conversations between CISA staff and senior officials elsewhere now require special permissions, slowing down important work. “I cannot access CISO for emergencies without approval,” the fourth employee said.
Meanwhile, the company expressed concerns about sharing information with CISA and even using the agency’s free attack surveillance service because Doge ransacked the agency’s computer. “People are concerned about all services that collect sensitive data,” said a third employee. “Partners [are] Ask questions about Doge can access and express concern about their sensitive information in their hands. ”
“Breaking pre-established relationships will have long-term impacts,” a fourth employee said.
CISA’s joint cyber defense partnership is a high-profile hub for government industry collaboration and is struggling. JCDC currently works with more than 300 private companies to exchange threat information, draft defensive scripts, discuss geopolitical challenges and publish consultations. The first employee said the department hopes to add hundreds of partners, but it is “hard to scale that” and the recent layoffs will only make the situation worse. The employee said the contractor might be able to help, but JCDC’s “supplier support contracts run out in less than a year” and because government processes have been frozen or suspended in recent weeks, CISA has no idea if it can reach a new agreement. The fourth CISA employee said JCDC did not have enough federal workers to make up for the slack.
