Chris Krebs, the former top cybersecurity official who came under fire from Donald Trump after the 2020 election, has finally broken his silence — and he’s furious. Speaking Monday at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Krebs condemned the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to U.S. cyber defense efforts, calling the moves “absolutely outrageous.”
Krebs, once the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), had not spoken publicly since Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate him for affirming the election’s integrity. His remarks received rare, enthusiastic applause from a typically reserved audience of cybersecurity professionals.
Krebs didn’t mince words. Addressing the room, he said, “Cybersecurity is national security. That’s why we do what we do. And right now, seeing what’s happening to the cybersecurity community inside the federal government — we should all be outraged.”
Since the start of the year, the Trump administration has slashed cybersecurity staff, directed CISA to cut probationary employees and advisory committees, and even encouraged government cybersecurity workers to retire. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CISA, confirmed the cuts but declined to comment on Krebs’ statements.
With cyberattacks like Salt Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon increasingly targeting the U.S., Krebs argued that cutting cyber personnel is not just short-sighted — it’s dangerous. “Sure, you can argue that streamlining government sounds good in theory,” he said. “But when China is knocking on our digital doors every single day, we’re going backwards, not forward.”
He urged for more investment in digital defense, calling for an expansion of Cyber Command, greater staffing at the NSA, and more frontline defenders. “We need more threat hunters, red teamers, sysadmins — the basics. Not fewer. Make CISA great again,” Krebs added, earning further applause.
Krebs, a widely respected figure among cybersecurity experts and former CISA colleagues, has faced backlash since Trump targeted him. Trump’s pressure even led to the revocation of Krebs’ security clearances at SentinelOne, where he worked until stepping down this month.
Support for Krebs is growing, though cautiously. On Monday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released an open letter defending him. While initial signatories included only a handful of smaller cybersecurity companies, the gesture marked an early sign of industry solidarity. Katie Moussouris, CEO of Luta Security and a signer, noted that many in the industry privately back Krebs but fear retaliation. “Everybody feels the same way I do,” she told NBC News. “But no one is authorized to say anything officially.”
Despite the risks, Krebs’ message was clear: cybersecurity professionals must stand up to protect U.S. digital infrastructure — no matter the political pressure.
