Leadership credibility questioned: The uploads triggered an internal DHS assessment involving the department’s then-acting general counsel Joseph Mazzara and chief information officer Antoine McCord, along with CISA’s chief information officer Robert Costello and chief counsel Spencer Fisher, the report said. The outcome has not been disclosed.According to the report, CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy confirmed that Gottumukkala received approval to use ChatGPT under DHS safeguards and described the usage as “short-term and limited.” She said he last used the tool in mid-July 2025 under an authorized temporary exception and that CISA’s default policy blocks ChatGPT access unless an exception is granted.The fact that automated alerts triggered shows controls can detect misuse, analysts said, but the incident occurring at the leadership level raises accountability questions.”Because this involves the head of the civilian cybersecurity agency, the impact is largely reputational,” Chauhan said. “Leaders set behavioral norms. Deviations undermine compliance culture and weaken credibility when advising other agencies and critical infrastructure operators.”The ChatGPT incident adds to mounting controversies surrounding Gottumukkala’s brief tenure. In December, Politico reported that he failed a counterintelligence polygraph test in late July and that DHS subsequently suspended six career staffers, characterizing the polygraph as “unsanctioned.”CISA has lost a significant number of its workforce since the Trump administration took office, with personnel dropping from over 3,300 to around 2,200 through buyouts, early retirements, and layoffs. The agency faces proposed budget cuts of nearly $500 million for fiscal year 2026.Gottumukkala previously served as South Dakota’s chief information officer under then-Governor Kristi Noem, now DHS secretary. CISA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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