Alleged cybersecurity failings prompt gutting of FEMA IT department

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had two dozen members of its IT department, including Chief Information Officer Charles Armstrong and Chief Information Security Officer Gregory Edwards, booted out by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the agency's failure to address significant cybersecurity weaknesses within its systems, reports The Cyber Express. Aside from not implementing multi-factor authentication and network visibility enhancements, FEMA's IT team also continued using obsolete security protocols while ignoring critical software issues, according to an audit from the DHS Office of the CIO. "FEMA's career IT leadership failed on every level. Their incompetence put the American people at risk. When DHS stepped in to fix the problem, entrenched bureaucrats worked to prevent us from solving the problem and downplayed just how bad this breach was," said Noem. However, such assertions by Noem have been disputed by multiple FEMA insiders speaking to CNN. Noem's statements have also been noted by critics to potentially politicize the agency's operations.