CISA acting director shifted to new role at DHS
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Madhu Gottumukkala, then-acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifying during a DHS oversight hearing in January. Photo: Heather Diehl via Getty Images
Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has been reassigned to a role at Department of Homeland Security headquarters, a senior DHS official confirmed.
- Nick Andersen, CISA's top cybersecurity official, will replace Gottumukkala as acting director while Congress reconsiders Sean Plankey's nomination to lead the agency.
Why it matters: It's the latest shake-up at CISA, which helps defend government agencies and U.S. critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, after significant budget cuts and the loss of at least one-third of its staff to buyouts and early retirements over the last year.
Between the lines: The reassignment of Gottumukkala, who was named CISA's deputy director last year and has served as acting director since May, comes amid growing concern about whether he was qualified to be the U.S. cyber agency's interim leader.
- Gottumukkala, the former CIO for South Dakota, reportedly uploaded sensitive files to a public version of ChatGPT. He also failed a polygraph required to access sensitive cyber intelligence shared with the agency, according to Politico.
- DHS called the polygraph test "unsanctioned" and "misleading," while CISA said Gottumukkala had been "granted permission" to use ChatGPT.
- Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement Friday that "time and again, I have made clear my concerns about Dr. Gottumukkala's ability to effectively lead CISA" and that he looks forward to working with Andersen to "get CISA back on the right track."
What they're saying: "Madhu Gottumukkala has done a remarkable job in a thankless task of helping reform CISA back to its core statutory mission," the senior DHS official said in a statement.
- "He tackled the woke, weaponized, and bloated bureaucracy that existed at CISA, wrangling contracts to save American taxpayer dollars."
Zoom out: Earlier this week, CyberScoop reported on widespread concerns, including among Republican officials, about the state of the agency a year into the second Trump administration.
- Politico reported Thursday that two top officials at CISA — CIO Bob Costello and acting Chief Human Capital Officer Kevin Diana — were recently reassigned to other roles within the Department of Homeland Security.
- A senior DHS official said in a statement Friday that Gottumukkala is now the director of strategic implementation at DHS "as part of Secretary Noem's broader efforts to stop waste, fraud and abuse."
- ABC News first reported the move.
What to watch: President Trump resubmitted Plankey's name to permanently lead CISA earlier this year.
- Last year, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers placed holds on his nomination over issues they had with either CISA or the Coast Guard, which Plankey has been advising while awaiting confirmation.
Go deeper: How Trump 2.0 has shaped and shrunk the top U.S. cyber agency
