CISA Defunds Threat-Sharing Hubs for States and Elections

The U.S. cyber defense agency canceled nearly $10 million in annual funding for two national cybersecurity hubs providing real-time threat intelligence to state and local governments as part of a Trump administration effort to scale back government spending.

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A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed Wednesday that federal funding had been terminated for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center. The agency is “is committed to good stewardship of taxpayer dollars” the spokesperson told Information Security Media Group.

Supporting the two groups “no longer effectuates department priorities,” the spokesperson added. The funding was part of a cooperative agreement with the Center for Internet Security to support the two cybersecurity institutions, which have been credited with enhancing state and local cybersecurity posture through a 24/7 security operations center providing real-time network and endpoint monitoring, no-cost cybersecurity services and specialized election security center.

A CISA official told ISMG several initiatives run through the centers that were being “descoped” include stakeholder engagement activities, cyber threat intelligence sharing and cyber incident response efforts. The cuts come as experts warn that CISA’s uncertain future, paired with a lack of federal funding and the nation’s alarming cyber talent gap, could leave critical infrastructure sectors vulnerable to cyberattacks and emerging threats (see: CISA Cuts Expose US Critical Infrastructure to New Threats).

CISA previously described the EI-ISAC as a “voluntary, collaborative partnership” with CIS and the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council, which helps enable state, local and federal government “to share information and collaborate on best practices to mitigate and counter threats to election infrastructure.”

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will continue prioritizing election system security – a critical infrastructure sector – amid reports that the White House is dismantling election security efforts and removing officials involved in countering online misinformation campaigns (see: Trump’s Staffing Overhauls Hit Nation’s Cyber Defense Agency).

A top cybersecurity official during the first Trump administration warned lawmakers earlier this month that the purge of federal cybersecurity workers “will have a devastating impact on cybersecurity and national security.”

Some analysts have said CISA will see a major realignment of priorities under Trump, who on Tuesday nominated Sean Plankey – a former Department of Energy and National Security Council cybersecurity official – to lead the agency. Plankey, a National Guard and Coast Guard veteran with significant cybersecurity experience, is largely expected to be approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee.

CIS and both ISACs did not immediately return requests for comment. The institute’s webpage for the EI-ISAC read Wednesday: “Due to the termination of funding by the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Internet Security no longer supports the EI-ISAC.”