The U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been significantly impacted by layoffs enforced by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to sources, more than 100 employees were terminated without prior warning, including critical cybersecurity personnel from CISA’s red team and Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT).
Multiple sources confirmed that affected employees discovered they had been laid off when their network access was suddenly revoked. The layoffs occurred in late February and early March, continuing a series of job reductions within CISA since the start of the Trump administration. This marks the third wave of cuts since January 20.
CISA spokesperson Tess Hyre declined to provide specifics on the number of affected employees but confirmed that the agency is conducting a comprehensive review of contracts to ensure they align with the administration’s priorities. Despite the cuts, Hyre maintained that CISA’s red team remains operational.
Impact on National Cybersecurity
The layoffs reportedly include employees responsible for penetration testing, vulnerability management, and real-world attack simulations to identify security flaws before they can be exploited.
One affected employee noted that more than 80 staff members supporting continuous monitoring had been laid off, in addition to 30 to 50 employees from the incident response team. This raises concerns about the government’s ability to protect federal networks from cyber threats moving forward.
One former CISA employee described the mass layoffs as “a ballistic missile with no guidance system”, expressing frustration over the sudden nature of the cuts. Many of those affected are now looking for private-sector cybersecurity jobs in roles insulated from further government cost-cutting measures.
These layoffs follow previous rounds in February, which saw more than 130 CISA employees dismissed, and an earlier wave in January that placed several election security personnel on leave.
With critical cybersecurity positions being eliminated, concerns are mounting over the potential weakening of national cyber defenses amid evolving threats.
