Trump hobbled top cyber agency just as AI learned to hack

The U.S. government's lead civilian cyber agency is heading into the AI era with shrinking resources and a diminished role as Washington scrambles to assemble a multi-agency response to emerging AI cyber threats. Why it matters: Former officials and industry leaders fear the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency no longer has the capacity to help utilities, banks and other critical infrastructure operators prepare for a coming wave of AI-fueled cyberattacks. The agency is at its weakest just when it's needed most, as the government braces for AI models like Anthropic's Mythos to supercharge cyberattacks. Created in 2018 during Trump's first administration, CISA oversees efforts to protect federal systems and U.S. critical infrastructure like the power grid and water utilities from hackers. Between the lines: CISA's sidelining started from the top. When President Trump hears "CISA," he doesn't think of protecting chemical plants, telecom networks or hydroelectric dams, a source familiar with Trump's thinking told Axios. "He thinks of some guy he'd never heard of making over-the-top claims about 2020 being the most secure election ever held," the source said, referring to former CISA director Chris Krebs. That frustration translated into sweeping staff and funding cuts and a diminished role for CISA in carrying out the second Trump administration's cyber agenda. Since the beginning of 2025, the agency has lost roughly a third of its workforce through buyouts and budget cuts. Trump's budget for next year proposed cutting as much as $707 million and another quarter of the staff — as many as 766 full-time employees. There may now be a U-turn underway, however. CISA's acting director recently told employees the agency plans to hire more than 300 new staffers for "mission critical" roles, according to Federal News Network . In the meantime, former officials and industry sources worry the cuts have left CISA poorly positioned ...

Original source: Axios