Without Federal Help, Cyber Defense Is Up to the Rest of Us
Summary
Riaz Lakhani (CISO, Barracuda) warns that recent cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — including staff layoffs and the termination of a $10m partnership with the Center for Internet Security — threaten the nation’s ability to detect and coordinate responses to critical vulnerabilities, especially zero-days.
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) programme was only extended at the last minute and faces continued uncertainty. The article argues that CISA’s advisories and coordinated processes materially shorten detection and remediation times for vulnerabilities; losing that capability leaves organisations to discover flaws themselves or learn about them via social media, increasing risk to customers and infrastructure.
With federal support weakened, Lakhani calls for industry-led cooperation: security teams, researchers and vendors must build trust networks, share findings responsibly, and press for restoration and strengthening of CISA and national programmes.
Key Points
- CISA has played a crucial non‑commercial role in identifying, analysing and communicating vulnerabilities — accelerating fixes and reducing exploitation windows.
- Recent actions — layoffs and cuts to partnerships — have degraded CISA’s capacity just as threats (including AI‑enhanced malware and zero‑day exploitation) are rising.
- The CVE programme faced possible shelving and remains only temporarily extended, creating further uncertainty for coordinated vulnerability disclosure.
- Without CISA, organisations risk delayed detection and remediation; industry must therefore create its own trusted information‑sharing and cooperation channels.
- The author urges advocacy for restoring and strengthening federal cyber capabilities while CISOs and vendors set aside competition to collaborate on critical defence functions.
Author take
Punchy and plain: this isn’t a policy abstract — it’s a practical alarm bell. Lose CISA and you lose a neutral, centralised early‑warning and coordination mechanism. The result: slower fixes, more customers exposed, and greater operational risk. If you care about operational security, read the detail and act.
Why should I read this?
Short version — because this affects whether you spot a zero‑day before it bites you. If you run security, build software, or manage risk, the article explains why federal cuts matter in real operational terms and what you can start doing now: forge trusted contacts, join or create sector sharing groups, and push for national capability restoration. It’s practical, urgent and directly relevant to anyone who doesn’t want to be surprised by an exploit headline.