US gov shutdown leaves IT projects hanging, security defenders a skeleton crew
- Reference: 1759348103
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/10/01/us_government_shutdown_it_seccurity/
- Source link:
President Trump has made overhauling government technology a priority for his administration - at least sort of - since coming into office. The Trump-created, formerly Musk-helmed not-quite-a-government-department, DOGE, was given a [1]broad mandate to modernize IT systems when it was stood up in January. In the process, the government's tech transformation team 18F was [2]shut down allegedly under DOGE's pressure, and it has made closing IT deals [3]more difficult . Likewise, a lot of IT staff have been [4]laid off since the Trump team took the reins.
Sign in to sound off
[5]Register for The Register's Forums here.
Despite that, IT modernization projects have continued apace. The feds have signed [6]numerous [7]contracts that speed the entry of AI into the federal workforce, and have struck a [8]growing number of deals with agencies [9]transitioning to modern cloud infrastructure as well.
In short, whether there are IT personnel manning the help desk or not (or perhaps because many have been laid off), the Trump administration is still trying to get rid of outdated systems.
Toss a shutdown into the mix, however, and things start to get complicated.
[10]
"With the shutdown now underway, the immediate impact is clear: non-essential IT modernization projects have stalled, creating backlogs in areas such as infrastructure upgrades, cloud migrations, and system updates," Former Acting Social Security Administration Chief Information Security Officer Timothy Amerson told The Register in an email.
[11]
[12]
Amerson, who now works as a federal government security analyst at GuidePoint Security, told us that things won't get any better if this shutdown drags on, which it seems likely to do.
"Every day of delay compounds long-standing legacy challenges and drives up future costs," the former acting CISO said. "Beyond the immediate disruption, this shutdown risks long-term setbacks."
Beyond the immediate disruption, this shutdown risks long-term setbacks
"Contractors would face payment delays, modernization projects are frozen, and digital transformation momentum is stalling precisely when organizations need to be preparing for AI, quantum, and rapidly evolving cyber threats," Amerson added.
To make matters worse, it's entirely possible that the folks responsible for some of those "non-essential" IT modernization projects might not even come back when the shutdown ends.
[13]
The Trump administration made numerous threats prior to the shutdown to fire federal employees en masse if the government closed up shop due to a lack of funding, and Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought reportedly [14]threatened to start those firings within a couple days when speaking to Republicans today. According to Amerson, cyber and IT staff are going to be hit particularly hard under the administration's plans.
"Vulnerability analysts, incident responders, and modernization staff are among the first affected, which erodes resilience and slows progress toward critical transformation goals," Amerson told us.
[15]Cyber threat-sharing law set to shut down, along with US government
[16]Trump demands Microsoft fire its head of global affairs
[17]Anarchy in the AI: Trump's desire to supercharge US tech faces plenty of hurdles
[18]Air Force admits SharePoint privacy issue as reports trickle out of possible breach
To be fair, not all of the big IT projects in the government are being suspended due to the shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration's [19]massive, underfunded plan to overhaul air traffic control systems is exempt from the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation shutdown planning [20]document . Other major initiatives at various agencies are also exempt, per contingency planning [21]documents , but those are the exception: The practical nuts-and-bolts modernization plans - new cloud services, new hardware, etc - are getting interrupted thanks to politicians' refusal to work together on a solution.
Reduced capacity creates real gaps in defense at a time when threats are rising
Federal agency leadership, meanwhile, is following the Trump Administration playbook to the letter - meaning that they're laying all the blame on Democrats for the matter. The Department of Transportation, the only one to respond to questions for this story, described the shutdown as "reckless" and pinned all the blame on Democratic leadership who refused to acquiesce to Republicans' desire to [22]eliminate healthcare tax subsidies from the funding bill with promises to negotiate those matters separately at a later date.
Elected officials, from Congress to the President, continue to get paid during the shutdown - unlike employees deemed essential for government operations, who have to continue to report without a guaranteed paycheck until the shutdown ends. Per furlough planning documents, some of those employees will be IT professionals essential to keeping the lights on.
"Cybersecurity monitoring, critical benefits systems, and national security networks continue to run, but they're being sustained with a fraction of normal staffing levels," Amerson explained. Beyond putting employees in a stressful situation, it's also a major security risk.
[23]
"Reduced capacity creates real gaps in defense at a time when threats are rising," the ex-SSA CISO said. Let's hope a foreign adversary doesn't have the forethought to capitalize on this situation. ®
Get our [24]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/21/doge_us_digital_service_renamed/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/18f_files_appeal_rif/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/28/nutanix_q4_2025/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/23/irs_it_staff_down_25_percent/
[5] https://account.theregister.com/register/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/25/grokai_servces_us_government/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/02/microsoft_rewarded_for_security_failures/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/11/fedramp_government_cloud_software_approvals/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/08/gsa_oracle_deal/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_specialfeatures/cybersecuritymonth&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aN2kdTC2uWpOFvKkK1hWogAAAAA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_specialfeatures/cybersecuritymonth&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aN2kdTC2uWpOFvKkK1hWogAAAAA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_specialfeatures/cybersecuritymonth&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aN2kdTC2uWpOFvKkK1hWogAAAAA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_specialfeatures/cybersecuritymonth&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aN2kdTC2uWpOFvKkK1hWogAAAAA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/01/congress/russ-vought-mass-layoffs-firings-timeline-shutdown-00589875
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/26/government_shutdown_cisa_law/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/trump_wants_microsoft_exec_fired/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/20/opinion_us_govt_ai/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/us_air_force_investigates_breach/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/04/faa_begins_air_traffic_overhaul/
[20] https://www.transportation.gov/lapse
[21] https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/heres-a-look-at-federal-agencies-contingency-plans-as-shutdown-looms/
[22] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-2025-funding-congress/
[23] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_specialfeatures/cybersecuritymonth&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aN2kdTC2uWpOFvKkK1hWogAAAAA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[24] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
They won't
The cuts were deliberate, they wanted to make them and cheered them on.
The problem the democrats have always had with messaging is they say "look the republicans want to do X, you need to vote for us" but even when republicans are in power democrats have usually managed to block republican attempts to do "X". The average voter thinks "the democrats are always claiming the sky is falling, but I'm not seeing the things they are warning about happening".
At some point the democrats need to stop saving the republicans from themselves and stand back and let them do the things they want knowing they will hurt people. Some people need to learn things the hard way. If people impacted by the ugly stuff in the "big beautiful bill" are persuaded to give democrats control of congress then they'll have the leverage and they can force these changes to be reversed.
What is interesting is that the voter blocks have shifted a lot over the past couple decades. A lot of the wealthier suburban voters who used to be solid R are now voting democrat. A lot of the poor / lower middle class white voters (and a larger chunk of the poor latino voters) who used to be solid D are now voting R. As a result there are more republican Medicaid recipients than democrats and the same is true for those relying on ACA. What republicans are doing will hurt more of their own voters than it will hurt democrats. Maybe they don't care, but the people who lose coverage certainly will.
Another step towards chaos
Trump is dragging the US down the drain.
Now, after having shoved everyone useful out of the door, he's going to be able to claim a state of urgency, invoke emergency powers, and end up Trumptator for life.
Maybe he's slightly less stupid than I thought.
Re: Another step towards chaos
Except he's clearly having major health issues, so if I had to bet I would say he doesn't live out his term. MAGA collectively worships Trump, but there is no other individual who has the support of even a majority of MAGA. So JD Vance isn't going to be able to dictate to congress what to do, or get MAGA behind him in the sort of way that's required to exercise dictatorial powers.
Sad that we're at the point where we have to cross our fingers and hope an old sick white man gets sick enough to die soon, but that's where we're at I guess.
Re: Another step towards chaos
Watch it, you'll get The Register cancelled.
Freedom of speech only applies to poor repressed white guys who want the "good old days".
You know, slavery, wife beating, disease, hunger, queer bashing all the good stuff
Re: Another step towards chaos
Trump is dragging the US down the drain.
That's a lie and you know it! Donald is not "dragging the US down the drain".
He is, as a matter of fact, pushing the US down the drain while he hovers above in his brand spanking new Qatari Air Force One, paid for by hardworking low- to medium income Americans while he guzzles his Diet Coke, bites into his freshly prepared hamburger fit for a king on his way to play a round of golf in Scotland Greenland Iceland, America's 52nd state (after Canada, of course!).
All the Rethuglicans have to do is agree to put healthcare back where it was.