The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is beginning to recover from crippling cuts to its personnel and overall resources, but is still facing challenges responding to real-life events impacting the American people.
Acting Director Nick Andersen said CISA is in the process of hiring after enduring major job losses in 2025 and is working to restore key services to help better protect the country from malicious attacks and other threats.
“We’re just ruthlessly prioritizing the types of things we’re engaged in,” Andersen said. “Every investment we’re making, every hour we’re spending our time.”
Andersen spoke at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on a panel hosted by the Alliance for Digital Innovation, prior to the opening sessions of the Black Hat USA conference. He spoke on a panel with acting Federal CISO Michael Duffy.
CISA has been prioritizing its efforts on making sure essential services are securely functioning and protected from malicious activity. Andersen said the focus has been on critical services like telecommunications and water, with the latter taking up much of the agency’s time in recent weeks.
Hackers suspected to be from Iran have targeted drinking and wastewater utilities in at least seven U.S. states. Hackers targeted vulnerable programmable logic controllers, which are used to help operators monitor systems. State officials in Minnesota and Michigan previously confirmed that dozens of utilities were impacted by the attacks.
CISA officials said they visited a water district in the Las Vegas area to get a look at what’s needed at such facilities. They discussed providing technical assistance and other resources, key parts of CISA’s prior efforts to engage with local communities.
