Then-Millenium challenge corporation CEO Sean Cairncross speaks during a ceremony on Aug. 5, 2019 at the presidential palace in Abidjan. (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP) (Photo credit should read ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images)
The national cyber director is pitching an approach that blends cyber operations with diplomacy, law enforcement and pressure on CEOs to shore up their organizations.
Brett Leatherman is running the bureau's most public cyber campaign yet, pushing basic security hygiene while quietly preparing industry for stepped-up Chinese threats.
Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies during the DHS oversight hearing in the Cannon House office building on Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
The move follows a story about criticisms of CISA’s performance during the first year of the Trump administration, with Madhu Gottumukkala’s leadership a point of contention.
Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies during the DHS oversight hearing in the Cannon House office building on Jan. 21, 2026. The hearing covered a full oversight into the Department of Homeland Security, CISA, TSA and S&T. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)