The head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the United States is an Indian-American cybersecurity expert and leader, Madhu Gottumukkala, who has faced media attention due to uploading confidential government reports to a free version of ChatGPT as per various media reports.
Who Is Madhu Gottumukkala?
The attack was reportedly at last summer and was on files and other documents that had the indication of official use only, the designation of an internal government information that should not be published on the internet. Although the files were not categorized, they were sensitive and this posed a problem as they were distributed on a platform with access to millions of people globally and therefore there is a high possibility that the files could end up in the hands of more people.
How Did The Case Start Gaining Attention?
The case attracted interest, since Gottumukkala was officially granted permission by the Office of the Chief Information Officer of CISA to use ChatGPT no later than May 2025, shortly after joining the agency, when the AI tool was unavailable to the majority of other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel. The uploads were made in the form of automated security alerts which were aimed at safeguarding federal networks against unauthorized disclosure of sensitive material or loss. After the attacks, the higher officials in DHS were said to have initiated an internal audit to determine whether the attack had threatened the security of the government, but the results of the investigation have not been announced.
Madhu Gottumukkala’s Background
Gottumukkala, the top ranking political officer in CISA, who becomes the lead to protect federal networks against advanced cyber attacks by enemy nation states, has has a rich background in the information technology industry, serving as a leader in the private sector. Upon inquiring about the upload, CISA said that he used ChatGPT on a short term and limited basis and operated within outlined constraints. The agency has also noted that it is committed to using artificial intelligence and other technologies as a part of larger modernization efforts to bring innovative technological solutions to government processes, although the episode also represents the dangers of introducing public AI tools into sensitive processes.
