CISA cuts devastating agency as threats continue to grow

The new White House’s slashing of federal budgets is having a detrimental effect on the country’s major cybersecurity agency, raising concerns about preparedness in a tense environment.

NextGov reported Apr. 18 that US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) threat hunters have discontinued use of two powerful tools, Censys and Google’s VirusTotal. CISA made the announcement in a notification dated Apr. 16 that VirusTotal would be discontinued on Apr. 20; the agency moved on from Censys in late March.

Context is everything. It’s far from the only shakeup at the cybersecurity-focused agency in the last three months. Job cuts have come due to slashed funding, with unit heads aiming for 1,300 layoffs in a workforce of just around 3,511. It’s a major change, and one that Rep. Eric Swalwell, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, complained in a letter Apr. 10, to the agency’s Acting Director Bridget Bean, was “wholly unacceptable.”

The architect of the cuts policy is reportedly Karen Evans, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA. Evans, who returned to CISA in February after leaving the agency in Jan. 2021, “is taking a hatchet to CISA,” a DHS-knowledgeable source told Politico.

Michael Daniel, Cyber Threat Alliance president and CEO, told Cybersecurity Dive that the reductions were “not wise,” and noted that the threats CISA protects against vary in scope, necessitating a strong defense.

“Whether the threats stem from geopolitical conflicts, such as Chinese intrusions into our critical infrastructure, or from cybercrime, such as fraud or ransomware, significant reductions at CISA will make the US more vulnerable and less safe,” Daniel said.

Staunch it. On Apr. 21, CISA Secure by Design initiative leaders Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek both announced they were leaving the agency. Secure by Design obtains pledges from software developers and manufacturers to ensure their products have cybersecurity protections built in.