Government Nick Andersen Appointed Acting Director of CISA Madhu Gottumukkala has been assigned to a new role within the Department of Homeland Security. By Eduard Kovacs | March 2, 2026 (7:53 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Nick Andersen has been appointed acting director of the United States’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Andersen, who until now served as executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, is replacing Madhu Gottumukkala , who joined the cybersecurity agency in May 2025 when he was named deputy director. Gottumukkala is leaving to become director of strategic implementation at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees CISA. His departure comes after reports that he failed a polygraph test and uploaded sensitive government information into a public version of ChatGPT. Andersen has experience in both the government and the private sector. He previously served as president and chief operating officer at the cyber and national security firm Invictus and as CISO at the public-sector arm of Lumen Technologies. Within the government, Andersen held leadership roles at the Department of Energy, the White House, the Coast Guard, the Navy, and the State of Vermont. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. CISA has not had a permanent director in the second Trump administration. Sean Plankey, who previously held key cyber roles at the Energy Department and the White House, has been nominated by the Trump administration to lead CISA. Plankey’s nomination was blocked last year and the White House renominated him in January 2026. Politico reported last week that CISA’s CIO, Bob Costello, and acting chief human capital officer, Kevin Diana, have been given the option to take on new roles within the DHS or resign. To stay informed on key personnel changes across the cybersecurity sector, explore SecurityWeek’s People on the Move section. Related : Former CISA Director Jen Easterly Appointed CEO of RSAC Related : Casie Antalis Appointed to Lead CISA Program Related : Tim Kosiba Named NSA Deputy Director Related : Sean Cairncross Confirmed by Senate as National Cyber Director Written By Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is the managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. 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