The ongoing government shutdown that kicked off early Wednesday morning is disrupting services across the federal government, but for America’s cybersecurity experts, the disruptions could end up producing a “global impact” from cyberthreats, leaving experts "unsettled."
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which protects critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, was already facing challenges prior to the government shutdown; it lost around 1,000 employees by June under President Donald Trump’s second term, nearly a third of its entire workforce.
The government shutdown also comes on the heels of the expiration of a law that allowed collaboration between cybersecurity companies to help combat cybersecurity threats and attacks, the timing of which has left cybersecurity experts alarmed.
“The lapse of [the law] could effectively turn the lights out on U.S. cyber intelligence from companies that have been, or are being, attacked,” said Hugh Thompson, executive chairman of the RSA security conference, speaking with The Washington Post in a report published Thursday.
“This breakdown of ‘collective defense’ would weaken domestic cybersecurity but could also have a global impact given that the U.S. shares cyberthreat intelligence with other nations.”
The government shutdown was sparked by a fight over extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies; Republicans have pushed for a temporary funding measure to keep the government open while debates continue, whereas Democrats have dug in their heels and demanded ACA subsidies be funded fully. Democrats have been supported by a growing number of their constituents in the shutdown fight, and new polling shows most Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown.
A CISA spokesperson admitted that the government shutdown could “disrupt” operations at the agency, but vowed that agency leaders would work to mitigate shortfalls.
“CISA remains fully committed to safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure,” said Marci McCarthy in an email to The Washington Post. “While a government shutdown can disrupt federal operations, CISA will sustain essential functions and provide timely guidance to minimize disruptions.”