Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks
,
Fraud Management & Cybercrime
,
Government
Former Tech Strategist on How DHS Shutdown Hampers US Cyber Defense
A partial government shutdown is now underway, disrupting wide swaths of the Department of Homeland Security and straining the federal government’s ability to coordinate cybersecurity operations at a time of elevated global threats.
See Also: Experts Offer Insights from Theoretical to the Realities of AI-enabled Cybercrime
While mission-essential cyber defense functions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency continue, proactive services that underpin long-term resilience are being sharply reduced, said Daniel Bardenstein, former chief technology strategy officer at CISA and now CEO of cybersecurity firm Manifest (See: No Vote, No Leader: CISA Faces 2026 Without a Director).
“You keep the cyber fire department on duty,” Bardenstein said. “But you temporarily shut down fire prevention.”
During a funding lapse, CISA prioritizes threat response, incident coordination and protection of critical systems. But activities such as vulnerability scanning, security assessments, stakeholder engagement and forward-looking policy development are significantly curtailed, limiting the agency’s ability to get ahead of emerging risks, Bardenstein said.
Programs supporting federal civilian agencies and critical infrastructure – including elements of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program, software supply chain security efforts and early-stage artificial intelligence policy initiatives – are particularly vulnerable to delays, he said.
The immediate impact may not be visible to the public, but over time the slowdown in proactive services could widen risk exposure across both government networks and privately operated critical infrastructure, Bardenstein warned. Meanwhile, adversaries may view the shutdown as an opportunity to probe defenses or exploit coordination gaps.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Bardenstein also discussed:
- How CISA prioritizes mission-essential operations during a shutdown;
- How agencies and critical infrastructure operators can prepare for gaps in federal support;
- Lessons from previous shutdowns about restarting cyber programs and retaining talent.
Bardenstein previously served in senior technology strategy roles at CISA, where he helped shape modernization initiatives and cross-sector cyber coordination efforts.
link