CISA runs on 800 staff as Iran cyber threat surges during DHS shutdown

The DHS partial shutdown reduced CISA from roughly 3,400 staff to approximately 800 mission-essential personnel — a 60 percent reduction — forcing the agency into a fully reactive cybersecurity posture. Acting Director Nick Andersen told the House Homeland Security Committee that physical and digital vulnerability assessments of critical infrastructure were suspended. Intelligence firms simultaneously warned of an uptick in Iranian cyber operations following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, including a confirmed hack of FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email.