Cybersecurity's uneasy marriage with Washington gets tested

If the cybersecurity sector and government officials learned anything this week in San Francisco, it's that they're stuck with one another.But their uneasy marriage isn't guaranteed to stay intact.Why it matters: Tensions are high amid federal workforce layoffs, high-profile firings, contract cuts and rising partisan tensions.Many executives saw their meetings with government officials and political nominees at the RSA Conference this week — the cybersecurity industry's big annual gathering — as a test of whether their public-private partnerships will survive the new administration. The big picture: These partnerships were always a tough but essential balancing act.Companies have long feared retribution if they disclose security failures that let hackers in. They've also questioned the asymmetry of the relationship — sharing threat intelligence with the government and getting little in return.Yet each side sees different parts of the threat landscape: Companies face nation-state actors while helping customers, and governments exchange high-value intelligence with global partners.State of play: Under former President Biden, these partnerships were the strongest they've ever been — but still built on shaky ground.Recent cuts to federal contracts and advisory councils — plus the Justice Department's pending investigation into former CISA director Chris Krebs — have eroded trust."We've had very minimal collaboration, as much as we would like [to], with public sector," said Proofpoint CEO Sumit Dhawan during a panel Tuesday. "The partnership has been when something has [already] happened."Between the lines: The Trump administration's decision to attend RSAC signals they intend to maintain those partnerships, Brandon Wales, a former CISA official, told Axios. "We need to continue to mature what that relationship looks like," Wales added. "It shouldn't be static, because our adversaries are continuing to get better." Reality check: All the "easy" cyber policy issues are done, an industry source told Axios. What's left are the hard ones — like mandating secure-by-design rules for federal contractors and defining roles among overlapping cyber offices.What they're saying: Cybersecurity companies "know what they are doing when they see a new pattern develop … or something specifically designed to infiltrate our nation's security," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a keynote talk at RSAC on Tuesday. "They have to feel like they have the ability to communicate that with us," she added.Zoom in: Some cybersecurity executives are optimistic the administration will still strengthen ties with industry.Kevin Mandia, co-founder of Ballistic Ventures and founder of Mandiant, told Axios he's hopeful the administration will pursue new levers that can deter nation-state hackers."There's tremendous opportunities, and there always have been, to make it so that you don't get sucker-punched in cyberspace," he said.Yes, but: Cyber leaders are also going public with their concerns about CISA cuts and the Krebs investigation.Krebs, in his first public appearance since President Trump's order, said the public should be "absolutely outraged" by the cuts.Jen Easterly, his successor, said on a panel that "perhaps the new leadership in the Department [of Homeland Security] … has not had the opportunity to dig deep into the CISA statute."She added that Noem would likely find everything she wants CISA to do is "already being done."More than 40 cybersecurity professionals signed an open letter this week condemning Krebs' "political persecution."What to watch: Trump hates the term "private-public partnership," the industry source said — so even if the ties remain, the label may not.Go deeper: Cyber bipartisanship on the brink

Comments

World news

Russians face soaring bills as Kremlin drains economy to fund war says ex-banking chief

Comments

Similar News

Alarm on campus after FBI raid on Chinese cybersecurity professor’s home

World news

Russians face soaring bills as Kremlin drains economy to fund war says ex-banking chief

Panic in Ukraine as second largest city on fire after Putin's overnight attack

Letters: Want rid of SNP and Labour? Learn a lesson from England

Camley's Cartoon on Trump's Turnberry hopes

Will Anthony Albanese be first Australian PM in 21 years to witness two consecutive election wins?

Woman dies in Greece when bomb explodes in her hands

Trump posts image of himself as pope on Truth Social. Critics erupt

Conclave: What goes on behind closed doors to elect a new pope

Woman killed in Greece after bomb explodes in her hands during attempted attack

Worshipers stampede at a temple in India, killing at least 6 and injuring dozens

Workers install Sistine Chapel stove where ballots are burned during papal conclave

Woman dies when bomb she was carrying explodes in Greek city, police say

South Korea’s main conservative party nominates Kim Moon Soo as its presidential candidate

Russian drone attack wounds at least 47 in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv

Woman killed in explosion when bomb she was carrying went off in her hands

Woman dies in Greece after bomb explodes in her hands

Democrats waited for Trump to crumble. Now they’re starting to fight back

Ukrainian troops to join UK's VE Day procession as Putin's war rages on

‘I worked at the Vatican - here’s why this cardinal may be the next pope’

The real reason why Trump's hope for 'big deal' will be 'dashed'

The biggest loser from Trump's huge £500 billion Ukraine minerals deal

Donald Trump to enrage British war heroes as he renames VE Day

Ukraine-Russia war latest: At least 46 injured after Moscow hits Kharkiv with mass drone strike

Trump administration files emergency appeal to Supreme Court to grant DOGE access to Social Security data

Romania set to vote in critical presidential rerun with a MAGA-style nationalist in the forefront

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate

Dinner parties, listening and lobbying. What goes on behind closed doors to elect a pope

Play your cardinals right: Betting on next pope gains popularity ahead of the conclave

‘The janjaweed are coming’: Sudanese recount atrocities in RSF attack on a Darfur camp

Woman rushed to hospital after falling from aerobridge at Sydney Airport

The five most important books about grief, according to Cariad Lloyd

Stacey and Joe are right – ADHD is a pain in the backside

Maisie Adam: ‘No, you do like female comedians – you just don’t see them’

Why deadheading and repotting plants now will improve your garden for summer

Keir Starmer is the UK’s Joe Biden

The pretty little Greek island not as famous as Santorini or Corfu but just as beautiful

The incredible 46-hour train journey linking two beautiful African countries

The world's smallest island with a building just off the UK coast

Italy's underrated seaside city where flights from the UK cost just £15

AmeriCorps cuts leave people who serve and community organizations scrambling for alternatives

Ukraine-Russia war latest: At least 46 injured after Moscow hits Kharkiv with mass drone strike

Voters to decide if the Texas home of Elon Musk's SpaceX should become an official city: Starbase

NPR stations targeted for cuts by Trump have provided lifelines to listeners during disasters

Albanese and Dutton face off as Australians vote in election shaped by high prices and shortage of housing

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate

Hockey Canada trial: Complainant describes encountering players in bar on night of alleged sexual assault

‘The body is reality’: Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg on mortality and making movies

How the way older people spend their money could impact future pension rules

I’ve visited dozens of the UK’s new saunas – here are 12 of my favourites

The most influential man in the Labour Party you’ve never heard of

How to define your own success (and why it’s not about money)

I travel by sleeper train as my job – here’s what makes them so special

Quick and easy pasta recipes to enjoy al fresco

We earn £100k but can no longer afford private school – there’s £1.68 in the bank

Why Caoimhin Kelleher would be the perfect fit for Man Utd

Labour fears eviction after just one term as Farage eyes No 10

My Italian farmhouse dreams were shattered by suspected Roman ruins in the basement

Brazil social security minister latest to quit in major pension fraud scandal

Message From the Russian Military: ‘We Lost Your Son’

Ghana Wanted a Cathedral. It Got an ‘Expensive Hole’ Instead.