Former Trump administration cybersecurity official Sean Plankey has been nominated to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA. His nomination was announced on March 12, 2025, and has been forwarded to the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for review. Plankey previously held significant roles in cybersecurity, including acting assistant secretary at the Department of Energy and director for maritime and Pacific cybersecurity policy at the National Security Council during the first Trump administration.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has laid off over one hundred employees from the U.S. government’s cybersecurity agency, CISA, including members of its red team, which is responsible for simulating cyber attacks to identify security vulnerabilities. The layoffs occurred in late February and early March, and sources indicate that more than eighty employees involved in continuous monitoring and between thirty and fifty incident response staff were affected. CISA’s spokesperson declined to comment on the cuts but stated that the red team remains operational. This round of layoffs marks the third known reduction in staff at CISA since January, raising concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain cybersecurity amid ongoing federal budget cuts.
DOGE has begun rolling out a custom chatbot called GSAi to employees of the General Services Administration, aimed at automating various government tasks. According to a report from Wired, the chatbot can draft emails, create talking points, summarize text, and write code. Employees have the option to choose from three models: Claude Haiku 3.5, Claude Sonnet 3.5 version 2, and Meta Llama 3.2. This implementation comes amid significant job cuts in the federal government, with the GSA reportedly laying off over 1,000 workers. Internal memos have cautioned employees against inputting sensitive information into the chatbot. The initial testing of GSAi took place among a smaller group before it was made available to about 1,500 workers, with plans for future expansion.
Utah has made history by becoming the first state to pass legislation requiring app store operators to verify the ages of users and obtain parental consent for minors downloading apps. The App Store Accountability Act aims to enhance online safety for children, amidst a growing movement across various states advocating for similar regulations. This new law comes as lawmakers have been trying to establish design regulations to protect minors, although many previous efforts have faced legal challenges. Major tech companies, including Meta and Snap, have expressed support for this initiative, emphasizing that parents desire a comprehensive solution for verifying their children’s ages. However, some organizations warn that such age verification requirements could infringe on privacy rights and chill access to protected speech for all users. The Supreme Court is expected to examine age verification issues this year, particularly concerning adult content websites.
Why do we care?
This raises concerns about federal cybersecurity posture. If CISA’s capabilities are weakened, it could create a trickle-down effect, leading to increased threats in the private sector as federal infrastructure and intelligence-sharing weaken.
From an industry standpoint, the cuts to CISA’s workforce, especially in continuous monitoring and red teaming, could lead to reduced proactive security efforts and slower responses to cyber incidents. This might push enterprises, including critical infrastructure providers, to seek alternative security services—a potential opportunity for managed security service providers (MSSPs) to fill the gap. However, it also raises concerns about an increased attack surface and higher risk for supply chain partners.
The GSA layoffs underscore a broader trend: government budget constraints leading to tech-driven workforce reductions. This aligns with corporate trends where AI is replacing administrative and knowledge-based roles. If GSAi suffers from data privacy concerns or inaccurate responses, it could slow down AI adoption in government and cause a chilling effect in the private sector. Government typically moves slow … for a reason.
Utah’s new law on age verification for app stores is significant because it represents a growing regulatory push for online safety laws. For tech companies, compliance with age verification and parental consent requirementsintroduces new operational challenges, particularly around user authentication, data privacy, and content moderation.
