The ongoing government shutdown is creating significant cybersecurity risks, according to **CISA** Acting Director Nick Andersen. Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, Andersen warned that the shutdown is leading to “accumulating risks across the system.” # Impact on CISA Andersen painted a concerning picture of the shutdown's impact on **CISA**. Approximately 60% of the agency's workforce is furloughed. **CISA** is already facing 1,000 vacancies, and recently, a highly technical threat hunting and incident response team lost six members in a single day due to resignations. "The remaining personnel are carrying out mission essential functions without pay while facing increasing pressure from nation-state and criminal actors targeting our nation's critical infrastructure," Andersen stated. # Limited Operations With its reduced capacity, **CISA** is primarily focused on responding to immediate threats, protecting life and property, disseminating critical vulnerability and incident information, and maintaining its 24/7 operation center. "These are necessary functions, but they are not sufficient to get ahead of the threat," Andersen explained. "Delays in issuing binding operational directives, reduced coordination with industry partners, and constrained incident response capacity all create openings for our adversaries." # Risks to Critical Infrastructure Andersen emphasized that **CISA**'s constrained ability to collaborate with the private sector, state and local partners, and the broader federal ecosystem presents a "real opportunity for our adversaries to be able to take advantage of that gap in capability." He cautioned that the risks are escalating daily, particularly as **CISA** prepares for the heightened threat environment surrounding the upcoming America 250 celebration events and the FIFA World Cup. # Long-Term Consequences Andersen expressed concern about the long-term impact of the shutdown on **CISA**'s ability to retain and recruit talent. "We're going to be dealing with the longer term impacts of people thinking that the Department of Homeland Security and **CISA**, in particular, is not a choice employer in this technical world," he said. He predicted that the shutdown could make it more difficult to recruit individuals into service with DHS and **CISA**.