CISA Shifts Focus to Risk Management Amid AI Surge and Hiring Push

The United States’ lead cybersecurity agency is pivoting toward a strategy of “ruthless” prioritization as it grapples with a wave of new artificial intelligence (AI) mandates and a depleted workforce.

Acting Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Nick Andersen, speaking Tuesday (June 9) at a conference in Washington, signaled a shift in how the government manages digital threats, moving away from broad security protocols toward a more focused, risk-based approach. That’s according to a Tuesday report from Federal News Network.

Central to this transformation is a forthcoming Binding Operational Directive (BOD) focused on AI security. The directive, released Wednesday (June 10), instructs federal agencies to move beyond the traditional “patch as quickly as possible” mindset. Instead, CISA will require agencies to focus on the specific risks associated with vulnerabilities, saying that not all software holes pose an equal threat to national security.

“If we try to say that everything is equally as important, then absolutely nothing’s going to be important,” Andersen said, according to Federal News Network. Andersen emphasizedthat the agency must prioritize the functions that underpin the economy and national security. For example, he noted that ensuring a major bank’s bulk payment system remains resilient is far more critical than protecting a single local branch.

This strategic pivot comes as CISA attempts to rebuild its ranks following steep workforce reductions under the Trump administration. Although these terminations faced intense scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers, the agency denied rumors of layoffs within its “red team” of vulnerability testers, clarifying that it only terminated specific contracts to eliminate duplication. However, former officials reported significant personnel cuts affecting over 100 employees.

CISA expects to extend nearly 200 job offers this month as part of an initial plan to hire 329 “mission-critical” staff, according to the Federal News Network. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has indicated that the agency may eventually need to add roughly 600 new employees to meet its expanding mission, the report noted.

Other CISA departments are still on the chopping block, however. Under the 2027 U.S. government budget, CISA faces a significant $707 million funding reduction, bringing its total allocation to approximately $2.02 billion, PYMNTS reported in April. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) stated that these cuts are designed to eliminate programs that combat misinformation and propaganda.