US cyber defenses to be undermined by State Department reorganization, experts say

July 18, 2025

Response to attack on State and Commerce Departments

Today’s columnist, Mike Britton of Abnormal Security, offers some insights to security teams looking to respond effectively following a major nation-state attack. Britton’s column focuses on last week’s news that Microsoft had mitigated an attack by a Chinese APT group. The attack targeted 25 organizations, including email accounts at the Commerce and State departments. (Stock Photo, Getty Images)

The U.S. State Department's dismantling of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy and ouster of the bureau's several diplomats and experts last week were noted by cybersecurity experts to hinder not only the country's efforts to counter Russian and Chinese state-sponsored and cybercrime operations but also both countries' increasingly sophisticated technologies, reports Cybersecurity Dive.

"Terminating diplomats with tech expertise and years of public service, and telling other countries 'figure out your own cybersecurity,' only makes the U.S. more vulnerable and puts its cybersecurity in core areas like for energy, telecommunications, and software more at risk," said Global Cyber Strategies CEO Justin Sherman. Meanwhile, the department's splitting of its International Cyberspace Security and International Information Communications Policy division has been panned for decelerating cyberattack response and international engagement. "Cyber and digital issues are cross-dependent and cross-cutting, and splitting them into separate (and lower) reporting chains is a recipe for turf wars and uncoordinated and ineffective policy," said Chris Painter, who was previously the U.S.'s top cyber diplomat.