Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has dismissed 24 FEMA employees following what she called a “massive” cybersecurity failure. Among those fired were FEMA’s Chief Information Officer Charles Armstrong, Chief Information Security Officer Gregory Edwards, and 22 other IT staffers. Noem cited their “incompetence” and said their actions endangered national security by allowing a threat actor to infiltrate FEMA’s network.

The breach was discovered during a DHS-led cybersecurity review, which revealed that FEMA’s IT team not only failed to stop the intrusion but reactivated the attacker’s credentials after DHS had disabled them. A FEMA spokesperson confirmed the incident, calling it a “huge flaw” that could have jeopardized American citizens had the threat actor gone undetected.

Although the origin of the breach remains unclear, it follows recent reports of Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploiting Microsoft vulnerabilities. These groups—identified by Microsoft as Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon—have already targeted multiple U.S. agencies, including the National Nuclear Security Administration. FEMA, notably, spent nearly $500 million on IT and cybersecurity in fiscal year 2025.

DHS officials said FEMA’s IT team misled leadership about the scope of the vulnerabilities and dodged inspections. They also failed to implement basic cybersecurity practices like multi-factor authentication. Noem accused the IT leadership of prioritizing cover-ups over protection, and said immediate terminations were necessary to restore accountability and security.

The article also highlights the firing of Cameron Hamilton, the former acting head of FEMA, after he publicly contradicted Noem’s position on dismantling FEMA during a congressional hearing. Hamilton defended FEMA’s role and questioned the Trump administration’s proposed shift toward state-level emergency management.

Hamilton’s dismissal continues a pattern of aggressive staffing changes at FEMA under the Trump administration, including earlier terminations of four officials for authorizing hotel payments for migrants. Noem concluded her statement by reaffirming that the American people “deserve results” from their government.