Former CISA head slams Trump for 'dangerously degrading' US cyber defenses

Jen Easterly, former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), had choice words for US President Donald Trump on Friday, slamming the two-term President for purging top cyber officials and putting the nation's digital defenses at risk.

Easterly took to LinkedIn on Friday, penning her thoughts just days before the industry's most renowned cybersecurity leaders and think tanks descend on San Francisco to attend RSA, the world’s largest cybersecurity conference, running April 28 - May 1, 2025.

Trump's recent moves to fire the two top National Security Agency (NSA) officials and order an investigation into the former head of CISA, Christopher Krebs, were part of a larger movement "that risks hollowing out - and worse, politicizing - the US federal cyber ecosystem when we can least afford it," said Easterly, who succeeded Krebs at CISA.

In the post titled "What are we really securing?" the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said that the entire cybersecurity community, including America's foreign partners, was being affected by the turmoil.

“Cybersecurity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. We don’t secure systems for their own sake; we secure them because they underpin something bigger—our hospitals, power grids, water systems, communication networks, and yes, our democratic institutions,” Easterly wrote.

“Chinese state-sponsored hackers are holding our nation at risk, positioned to launch disruptive attacks on our most sensitive critical infrastructure. As experienced leaders exit and key roles remain vacant, our nation's cyber defenses are at risk of being dangerously degraded," she said.

Easterly went on to call on the cybersecurity community to step forward and publicly speak out, especially those leaders in the private sector, claiming that staying silent while “experienced, mission-driven leaders are sidelined or sanctioned” only compromises US national security.

Trump's abrupt firing of Gen. Timothy Haugh, who led the NSA and Cyber Command, and his deputy, Wendy Noble, combined with his announcement of an investigation into Krebs and restrictions on Krebs' then-employer, SentinelOne, have shocked the industry.

Neither move was fully explained, but they appear to fit within a larger pattern of Trump using the machinery of state power to punish anyone perceived as disloyal to him personally.

Cybersecurity companies have gone quiet on the matter. None of the 33 major cyber firms approached by Reuters offered comment when asked about Krebs or SentinelOne.

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Easterly wrote the dismissals affect the entire cybersecurity ecosystem on a worldwide scale.

“These developments matter to our many partners across the globe who look to our nation for leadership in cybersecurity and contribute to our cyber defense efforts, “ she said.

CISA and NSA didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.