"Displeased ex-cyber official voices criticism following Trump's moves curtailing U.S. digital security"
Rewritten Article:
Chris Krebs, the ex-cybersecurity bigwig who got Trump's ire for affirming the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, expressed his rage on Monday over the Trump administration's gutting of cyber personnel. Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, a high-profile cybersecurity meet, Krebs slammed the current administration for repeatedly slashing cybersecurity employees, contractors, and programs.
Addressing a typically reserved audience, Krebs received applause for his criticisms of the second Trump term, labeling the repeated personnel cuts as cause for collective outrage. He passionately declared, "Cybersecurity is national security. We all know that, right? That's why we're here. We protect 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."
Since January, the Trump administration has made repeated attempts to pare down cybersecurity personnel owing to broader government downsizing motives and policy priorities. These efforts include layoffs, coerced retirements, and program suspensions, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as a major target. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CISA, confirmed the cuts but did not comment on Krebs' remarks.
Krebs underscored the importance of bolstering cybersecurity forces in light of recent hacking campaigns traced back to China, nicknamed Salt Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon. He argued that investing more in cybersecurity staffers would help combat these threats, stating, "Make CISA great again."
A popular figure among CISA staffers and the broader cybersecurity industry, Trump's actions against Krebs ranged from rescinding his security clearances at SentinelOne, where he recently resigned, to dismantling information-sharing structures. Support for Krebs is widespread within the industry, but there have been concerns about provoking Trump's administration, with one signatory telling NBC News, "Everybody feels the same way I do. Nobody is authorized to say anything officially."
Cybersecurity experts are growing increasingly concerned about the administration's approach, raising alarms about the cuts occurring at a time of heightened nation-state threats and escalating cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Experts maintain that these reductions weaken defenses during a surge in threats, potentially counterproductive to overall security efforts.
- Chris Krebs, despite being outraged over the Trump administration's repeated cuts to cybersecurity personnel, emphasized the importance of bolstering cybersecurity forces to combat ongoing hacking campaigns like Salt Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon.
- A general-news report confirmed that the Trump administration has been reducing cybersecurity staffers, contractors, and programs since January, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as a major target.
- The Trump administration's actions against Chris Krebs have garnered wide criticism from the cybersecurity industry and experts, who argue that the pausespaceincrease in personnel cuts could jeopardize cybersecurity at a time of heightened nation-state threats and escalating cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
- During the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Chris Krebs, the ex-cybersecurity bigwig, expressed his frustration over the repeated cuts to cybersecurity employees, calling for collective outrage and stating, "Cybersecurity is national security."
- In response to Trump's actions against Chris Krebs, such as rescinding his security clearances and dismantling information-sharing structures, support and concern for Krebs have grown within the cybersecurity industry, with one signatory stating, "Everybody feels the same way I do. Nobody is authorized to say anything officially."
