Just another day in tRump administration. They’re hacking the budget for CISA from left to right to up, down, and center. People are getting fired. Work is tense because no one knows who might be fired next. People are leaving because of the stress. And Russia and China are watching this and rubbing their hands together with glee. “Cybersecurity is very important to us” as they chop more from the budget. That right there says no, it isn’t.
“I think the sense from myself and my peers is that the ability of this country to deal with cyber threats is being absolutely gutted for political reasons,” an industry expert said. Major changes to cyber strategy were announced at the State Department and intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency, creating additional confusion about whether there was a unified approach to cyber policy. And President Donald Trump has continued his retribution campaign against top officials he has deemed disloyal to his agenda — including ordering an investigation into Chris Krebs, who led CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) under Trump between 2018 and 2020, and firing Gen. Timothy Haugh, who served as the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the NSA.
What the hell??!! Nothing like a little retribution from tRump. For Chris, it’s purely because he said the 2020 election wasn’t rigged and claims of fraud were unsubstantiated. General Haugh? Just for what he’s done as the Commander, I would guess. Good grief! More of Agent Orange’s petty power games. It’s not like they could do anything to him *now*. (It’s not like they would *want* to, either, I’d bet.)
In his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump has taken a sledgehammer to many of the nation’s cyber-focused agencies and programs. Now, a normally apolitical community is rising up in protest. The nation’s cyber agencies, particularly the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have faced relentless cuts to programs and personnel, heightening concerns about the stability of the workforce and resiliency of U.S. capabilities. The industry has long held the view that securing the nation’s most critical networks is a collective national security imperative, with private political opinions mostly kept secondary. But Trump has ushered in an era of hyperpartisanship in Washington and has rewarded public displays of allegiance to the MAGA cause, generating fury among exasperated professionals.
Well done, twit. Might as well hand Russia and China an invitation to hack their way into the really important things in this country. Nothing like, oh, figuring out what our nuclear capability is. Oh, but no, we have good relations with them! Ha, No. Seriously, all, what was and is he thinking? Damn, I forgot this already. He doesn’t think. Even if something interacts with him directly, he still doesn’t think.
“With the politicization of basically everything in government, including cybersecurity, we are seeing what would be the normal course of business come under scrutiny,” said one cyber industry leader on the sidelines of the RSAC Conference, one of the largest gatherings of cyber professionals in the world. “There are a number of groups, communities if you will, that are trying to take a more aggressive approach to say, ‘Hey, we can’t be quiet or complacent anymore on the way we operate,’ because effectively good faith is no longer the tone that is being taken.” This person and others interviewed for this story were granted anonymity to speak candidly about their concerns amid fears of potential backlash from the Trump administration.”
Outraged whispers circulated the halls of San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center about Trump’s reprisal against Krebs, who provoked his ire in 2020 for stating that the presidential election was secure and that claims of fraud were unsubstantiated. Last month, Trump stripped him of his security clearance and ordered the DOJ to investigate his tenure as CISA head. And earlier this week, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that Krebs had lost his membership to Global Entry, an expedited customs program for U.S. travelers, because of Trump’s probe. “Nobody should be blackballed for doing their job,” said a third industry leader. “That’s the situation we have right now — widespread anger that it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. And where are our industry leaders?”
Where are they, indeed? So many top positions are being left vacant since the Cheeto Prophet went on a firing spree, that no one may know who the leaders are anymore. Kristi Noem came and gave a keynote speech at RSAC. It was pretty much all hot air and no substance.
The Trump administration is aware of the pushback, and top officials traveled to the conference this week to smooth ruffled feathers. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gave a keynote address Tuesday, in which she assured the crowd of the administration’s commitment to cybersecurity and to keeping CISA operating, with some significant modifications.
Noem told attendees to “just wait” to see the administration’s grand plans for cyber and promised further investment, though on Friday, the White House released a budget plan that would slash $500 million from CISA if enacted, creating further dissonance between the administration’s words and actions.
Just wait, my ass. Things are going to get worse, not better. She’s just like the rest of the administration with platitudes and empty promises, and hot air with no substance.
“Though she said many of the right things, folks are focusing on actions rather than words, including dramatic cuts at CISA,” one former official said. “Noem’s response to this criticism that, essentially, people should ‘just wait for what’s coming’ lacked any detail and gave little solace.”
“To the community that right now is in distress, that’s under attack, that’s being picked out from all sides, cybersecurity is national security,” Krebs said at the end of a keynote panel Thursday. “Please stay in the fight. Do not lose faith, don’t let it grind you down. We have to win this. We will win this.”
That says it right there. Somehow, they need to stay in the fight, because if the cyber folks give up, we are in deep, deep doo-doo. All the best to them. They *deserve* it. Thanks for sticking with me – I know this ran a little long!
*****And now, please be so kind as to read a very special request from our awesome boss******
Zoomers, we are always in need of donations. It’s been an especially rough April, and my own health has not been great these past few weeks, which just adds to the frustration. Anything you can spare will be immensely appreciated. And thank you to all who have donated generously already. Ursula
It’s exactly like they are cutting ships out of the Navy, and aircraft from the Airforce.
Bingo. However, I would say that cybersecurity loss has a greater potential for disaster. Do the words “fire sale” mean something to you? Heh. Plus, now, India and Pakistan…..