Top CISA Cybersecurity Officials Resign, Urge Private Sector To Build Secure Products

Two high-ranking officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the United States have recently resigned. Both announced their departures on LinkedIn on Monday, describing the move as a difficult decision but offering no further details about their reasons.

According to The Record, Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek shared public announcements on the social media platform LinkedIn. Lord had been a senior technical advisor for CISA since 2022, and Zabierek since 2023.

“This was not an easy choice, as service to the nation has been the cornerstone of my career, from my time in uniform, to my years in the intelligence community, and now as a senior advisor at the nation’s cyber defense agency,” wrote Zabierek.

According to Cyberscoop, both talents were chief architects behind CISA’s Secure by Design program, an initiative that encouraged companies to build safe products considering a cybersecurity framework to prioritize users’ safety. Both officials praised the program, and Lord said he will keep “contributing” after a break.

“Being part of this initiative has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career, one that truly embodies the spirit of public-private partnership and both interagency and international collaboration,” wrote Zabierek.

The departures raise concerns over the future of the Secure by Design program—launched under the Biden administration—especially now that the Trump administration has been reducing personnel and resources.

“CISA remains laser-focused on working across the public and private sectors to improve the nation’s cybersecurity,” said Bridget Bean, acting CISA Director, to Cyberscoop. “This is why we continue to urge companies to develop products that are secure by design, instead of passing the cost of poorly designed products on to consumers.”

A few days ago, CISA announced a new wave of layoffs as it was going through a workforce transition to adjust to the new administration’s requirements. Cybersecurity Dive estimated that the agency could eliminate 1,300 jobs and offered deferred resignation, voluntary separation, and early retirement programs to its employees. It has not been disclosed if Zabierek or Lord accepted one of the programs.

Major restructuring efforts have also taken place in other departments. A whistleblower recently raised concerns about Musk’s DOGE accessing sensitive information from the NLRB and implementing workforce reductions.