Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) chief Chris Krebs urged the cybersecurity community to express outrage over the Trump administration’s moves to diminish federal cyber defenses. Speaking at the RSA Conference on Monday, Krebs warned that cybersecurity is an integral part of national security and criticized recent actions that threaten its strength. Near the end of a panel discussion, Krebs emphasized, “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. Absolutely outraged.”
His comments followed a LinkedIn post by former CISA director Jen Easterly, who also raised alarms about the politicization of cybersecurity and the unexplained firing of U.S. Cyber Command and NSA chief Gen. Timothy Haugh.
Fallout From Security Clearance Revocation and Staffing Cuts
Chris Krebs’ remarks marked his first public appearance since resigning from a senior role at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne earlier this month, following the Trump administration’s investigation into his previous work at CISA. An April 9 memorandum revoked Krebs’ security clearance and initiated a broad review into potential misconduct tied to free speech and censorship during the 2020 election. This review also targeted individuals affiliated with SentinelOne. In response, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, along with dozens of cybersecurity and election security experts, issued an open letter calling for the administration to rescind the order.
Meanwhile, the administration is reportedly preparing to terminate up to 1,300 CISA employees—almost half the agency’s full-time workforce—and a significant portion of its contractors. Two senior officials overseeing CISA’s “Secure by Design” initiative also recently resigned, casting doubt on the future of the agency’s cybersecurity innovation efforts.
A Call for Reinforcement, Not Retrenchment
Chris Krebs, a longtime Republican, argued that cutting cybersecurity resources is dangerous at a time when threats from foreign adversaries, particularly Chinese hacking groups, are intensifying. Citing groups like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, he warned that the U.S. faces daily attempts to breach critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks. “We are not moving forward,” Krebs said, criticizing attempts to downsize cybersecurity efforts under the banner of government streamlining.
He advocated instead for expanding the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, calling for more warfighters at Cyber Command, intelligence collectors at the NSA, frontline defenders, threat hunters, and even basic system administrators. Closing his remarks on a pointed note, Krebs urged, “Make CISA great again,” highlighting the urgent need to rebuild and strengthen federal cyber defenses rather than dismantle them.
