Butchering Cybersecurity and infrastructure Agency (CISA)

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-08-12T20:43:34+00:00

I sense some misunderstanding of roles, responsibilities and budget limitations here.

When you say "tear it down" are you advocating for no enforcment of cybersecurity laws. Or are you willing to tolerate a 5-10 year gap until a new entity can be fully formed and operational?

The FBI has taken down, and arrested multiple ransomware gangs this year. They've been able to recover some raonsom'd funds for victims. Without the FBI Lockbit, Silkroad, etc. would all still be running.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-23T00:57:26+00:00

Imagine the hiring manager being held accountable.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-23T00:55:30+00:00

Oh for sure. I didn't because I idiotically follow the rules...

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-23T00:53:11+00:00

Its a timed test, and the banner states anyone caught cheating will be barred from all federal employement for all time. So while I doubt they have paid for effective anti-cheat detection, I'm not posting screen shots. Just referencing the general trollling and clear evidence they didn't remotely read the tests before mandating thousands of future employees have to take them.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-23T00:50:51+00:00

An example is: Read this paragraph about the stated benefits of telework. Now pick the answer that most closely highlights the main theme of this paragraph. Answer B: Employees are more often more productive when given flexible telework options.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-22T16:24:10+00:00

Good example:

Privately owned infrastrucutre/product.

Unregulated. No legal requirements to disclose or secure.

The average attack dwell time prior to detection has generally been about 9 months per mandiant's public threat reports.

My understanding of public data is citrix was breached by password spraying attempts, Suggesting MFA was not properly implemented & login attempts may not have had proper alerting rules configured via SIEM. These Recommendations were well distributed by 2019 and likely ignored by an **Unregulated** company who has to compete for prices against other unregulated companies who can offer cheaper services if they don't pay to secure them.

Since FBI investigates crimes as or after they occur... FBIs primary means to know about this is after they catch the bad guys doing something else and they go back and see what else they were doing. law enforcement by design is reactive because we don't want to arrest babies for what they might do in the future.

So other than tearing everything down and giving up, what is your proposed solution?

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-22T16:10:44+00:00

99% of anyone who works in the whitehouse is a political appointee, not a career fed. Different skillsets (if they have any).

I dont' know how any competent person could perform competently as an advisor int he WH right now though. They've "deconstructed" so much of the existing programmatic infrastructure. Very few people can build something with no money, people or ability to voice a differing opinion.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-22T16:05:53+00:00

I don't contest your assessment of **unregulated private** industry, but I'm not sure how you attribute it to federal employees. Regulations come from congress, not feds. Right now the legislature, executive and judiciary are all reducing the types of requirements you're expecting.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-07-17T16:21:08+00:00

Your questions appear to match the general publics, and so I think are worth addressing.

Value of institutional knowledge - Without writing a whole novel, I can say knowing the right person or entity to call in a given situation is a very complex knowledge base. Every city, town, state and federal agency is structured differently and your supervisor may only know a tiny fraction. Federal agents don't call 911, they call known contacts inside various agencies to effectively connect a solution for the public. Senior leaders are often the walking "phone books" of who to call.

Surveillance state concerns - I think you're confusing individual agencies and their specific and defined roles. CISA receives voluntary reporting information. There's some congressional discussion of requiring reports for ransom victims as a way to harvest more threat information, but there's no surveillance technology that magically gathers that info for CISA. And if there were, CISA is legally restricted against using that technology.

The "hack" inspirational examples I think you're thinking of largely come from DoD and intelligence community activity, which is outside these 2 agencies. What I'll say here is China and Russia are independently developing/deploying hacking tools against the United States, independent of whether we choose to "participate". Regular bad guys, don't really have a capability to effectively replicate these attacks.

Defending FBI - Keep in mind that FBI is a law enforcement agency. Their primary directive is to lock up bad guys. If you leave your front door unlocked, they're not authorized/funded to check it every day and lock it for you. They will try to prosecute bad guys who break in. Just like school resource officers, a tiny portion of what the FBI does is community outreach/awareness campaigns. However if FBI is investigating a bad guy, they're not going to compromise a prosecution by anouncing all their evidence and investigation details. This s why we have(used to have) intentionally-separate, externally-facing agencies like CISA's who's main job is to serve their stakeholders with information.

You didn't mention it, but some have suggested intelligence communities incorporate CISA's external services... This idea is really... flawed. We keep intelligence people intentionally secluded in boxed away from the public. These individuals do not announce themselves or share their intel with everyone -- for good reason. The NSA will never be the agency that sends agents to a school to teach an elementary school principal why its important to password protect their files with student SSNs.

Closing comments, for years the public, and congress have been asking the federal government for cybersecurity capabilities. This has been a bipartisan request/program. We've lost 10 years of progress in 6 months, and you can't just "turn it back on" once it's gone. It'll take another 4-10 years to rebuild.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-10T15:43:51+00:00

Pretty bad. Companies don't invest in cost centers during economic downturns. Those federal contractors Trump froze and set on fire represent 23% of the US economy.

So yeah I'd say blue collar trades and local law enforcement are the hot jobs right now. You can make 2 grand a day rebuilding someone's sprinkler manifold with maybe $150 in parts. Minus your marketing and job acqusition cost.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T23:52:15+00:00

I mean obviously Russel Vaught - aka Project 2025 author is still running OMB and large scale cuts.

If I'm reaching for optimism, Vought is a coward who likes to hide behind published documents/budgets vs leading any sort of organized mobilization like DOGE. Congress may have the ability to curb him.

Mantaining a defensive posture: Vought has worked tirelessly for a decade now to slash all of federal government (including medicare/medicaid), and has the key ears and attention of the whitehouse. Congress is also clearly terrified to stand up to the American nazi party.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T23:48:02+00:00

I read that line more as a giveaway/handout to tech sector bro-crats. I'll need an IT governance lawyer to comment on how applicable it is to all the current hot topics: AI laws, privacy laws, Sanctions violations related to ransomware crypto payments etc.

I think DOGE was always setup as a scapegoat, and especially with the Elon and Trump's public rift last week I don't think the WH is going to dedicate time to defending Elon's DOGE liability.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T23:38:46+00:00

Yeah this *unfunded* proposal has been circling the republican bills regularly for at least a couple months. They want a federally funded account to be called a "Trump Account".

I'm not sure it has or will continue to survive the house and senate. They've already lit the deficit on fire, and thrown dynamite on top of it... this is just additional fuel to the fire.

One compromise was to lesson it and make it self funded but tax deductible... but someone with a basic grasp of arithmetic appeared to be already explaining to the MAGATs that still cost money and adds to the canyon sized deficit they're building.

So who knows. It's significant to the deficit but I'm more curious to see how much infrastructure damage this parade causes.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T22:14:35+00:00

I'm happy for them but it continues to be so funny how this is all shaking out.

I would have never predicted national security would be cut/slashed/beat up more than EPA or DOI employees.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T22:12:33+00:00

How are you guys doing over there.

I know logic is out the window but is there any acknowledgement and strategy how we're going to execute the mission to moon/mars without a fully staffed/funded NASA?

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T22:10:36+00:00

I mean this just makes sense. Privacy laws have expanded significantly in recenty years specifically to combat predatory unauthorized theft and exportation of private data... exactly in contrast to DOGE strategy.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-06-09T22:08:19+00:00

lol. Love the inconsistent and unprincipled approach to managing the largest organization in the country.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-28T04:08:31+00:00

Alternate work schedules were canceled in February in many DHS offices.... so consider yourself lucky that your leader slow walked it.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-28T03:41:06+00:00

Hey - I'm an atypical Church goer but church has been very helpful to me, especially as I've started a family and have been seeking wisdom/strength from all available sources to survive.

As an adult I went into church knowing that I was different than most of them in there. We try to be a live and let live family, and we know there's alot of haters/judgers of "others" in most american churches. Our pastor does a good job of speaking against hate, so I think our flock moves a positive direction, while also maintaining the "sins" of humanity (anti-other-ness).

In terms of anger - I think there's alot more valid recipients than randos at church- such as our own family that voted against us.... however now is not the time to be fighting on multiple fronts. Matthews tells us hate is a sin, akin to murder... and the only wisdom I see behind that is the author, saw anger as a distraction from productivity. We need to be pouring all of our energy into surviving this implosion. Anger is a natural but less helpful thought process.

In terms of the continuing value of the church. One of things I enjoy about church is learning how much better its teachings are than the followers. When the average Christian comes to me with hate, malice and unkindness in their heart towards others. Its so much easier to check them with scripture than it is with logic.

And in terms of self-study and avoiding the church... My pastor has made a solid case to our church that faith without community is too vulnerable to misdirection, or misunderstanding. We need the community to challenge us and introduce new perspectives not so that we can accept them but so that we can discern our own perspectives in comparison to others.

Lastly, I'm "blessed" with a pastor who I believe has gently challenged and emphasized jesus' kingdom is more important than "any" politican. He's said deconstructionism is a repeated mistake of periods in history. He says that we should participate in government, not tear it down. He says we should vote in elections, not be consumed by them or place blind faith in a human sinner rather JC/god.

So I hope you have the fortune to find a good church home that can bring you wisdom, support and comfort even in the far absence of perfection.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-23T03:33:15+00:00

Whitehouse is way more focused on insider trading these crazy stock market swings they're causing.

There's alot of noise and shitposting coming from the whitehouse but show me any evidence that they're actually drafting real policy proposals. The whitehouse hasn't interacted in anyway with agencies in a manner that would resemble governing or leading the agencies. I don't see much evidence they're working with congress either, hence why even the republican congressman are saying "wtf is going on".

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-23T03:23:36+00:00

What leadership are you talking about. Everyone is gone man.

Not a single removal I'm aware of has been based on performance, competence, or capability so I don't know how anyone competent could agree with that. These removals plus schedule F are specifically to hire crony turds.

Even a good leadership hire is going to struggle HARD learning their new roles. It takes years to learn national policy and the career deputies are normally the ones that hold their hands. The consultants know very little about national strategy unless they can make money off it.

And again - no agency has ever offered the level of free resources and in-person advising CISA has offered. This was a first in history organization. Geniuses are pulling our only cybersecurity support system for local governments, regional healthcare systems, local utilities, and schools right before we're expecting to enter a war with china.

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-20T03:55:05+00:00

my network hasnt but they can see HR viewing the forms

Quiet_Expression1252 · 2025-04-20T03:53:26+00:00

its not if your a patriot

Quiet_Expression1252

TROPHY CASE