CISA replaces acting director after a turbulent year on the job

It was reported this week that The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is in dire straitsafter a year of cuts, layoffs and furloughs under the Trump administration. Now the agency has replaced its top commander, a CISA spokesperson told TechCrunch.

The move to replace Madhu Gottumukkala as acting director of CISA, a Department of Homeland Security agency that oversees cybersecurity and technical protections across the federal government, comes after a turbulent year serving as the agency’s top chief.

Gottumukkala struggled to lead the agency during his time as acting director and caused damage Security headacheincluding uploading sensitive government documents to ChatGPT, according to reports. The recruitment was at the agency Reduced by a third. Gottumukkala also reportedly failed to a Counterintelligence lie detector He took it to view classified documents, and suspended several career officials in response, including the agency’s then-chief security officer.

Prior to his nomination to be deputy director of CISA, Gottomukala served as South Dakota’s chief technology officer under then-Governor and current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

ABC News He was the first to report Gottumukkala’s departure.

In a statement shared with TechCrunch on Friday, CISA spokesperson Marcy McCarthy claimed that Gottumukkala did a “fantastic job.” McCarthy told TechCrunch that Nick Andersen will replace Gottumukkala as the new acting director of CISA, and that Gottumukkala has been moved to a new position as director of strategic implementation at the Department of Homeland Security, which includes CISA.

Prior to his appointment as acting director of CISA leadership, Andersen previously served As the agency’s top official overseeing the cybersecurity division.

The agency still has a permanent director confirmed by the Senate since Trump returned to office.

McCarthy said the Trump administration has chosen Sean Blankey to be the permanent director of the agency, which requires majority approval in the US Senate.

The white house He renominated Blanqui to head CISA in JanuaryAfter Senator Ron Wyden last year Blocked Blanqui’s candidacy The agency even agreed to release an unclassified report purportedly describing cybersecurity flaws at the phone and telecom giants. Wyden demanded that the report be published In the wake of hundreds of hacks US and international phone and internet service providers targeted by the China-backed hacking group known as Salt Typhoon. The Senate has not yet scheduled a hearing for Blanqui’s nomination.

Nextgov reported Thursday CISA lost another top official, Bob Costello, the agency’s chief information officer charged with overseeing the agency’s IT systems and data policies. Media reported that Gottomukala attempted to move Costello but was blocked by unnamed political appointees.

CISA spokesman McCarthy did not address Costello’s departure when asked by TechCrunch, but did not dispute the report.