HOW THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMPACTS NATIONAL-SECURITY POSTURE and CYBER SECURITY PROFESSIONALS

October 1st, 2025

At 12:01 a.m. ET, on October 1, 2025, the government shutdown went into effect.

This comes as Congress failed to pass a funding bill to keep the federal agencies operating. Government shutdowns can have a significant impact on the cybersecurity posture of the federal government as well as on cybersecurity professionals employed by the federal government and government contractors

How cybersecurity professionals are affected

Many federal civilian employees are sent home without pay amidst a government shutdown. However, many cybersecurity professionals’ roles are often considered “excepted” due to their ties to national security and law enforcement. This means that federal cybersecurity employees are required to keep working, but without pay until the shutdown ends.

Cybersecurity professionals working for defense and federal contractors are not as negatively impacted. Contractors are paid from previously obligated funds, and if a project is already funded, employees are still paid for their work until funding runs out. However, new obligations can not be approved during a shutdown, potentially hurting employers. Additionally, associates of government contractors who work at government facilities may not be able to report to work, even if they are still getting paid, although the opportunity for remote work may exist.

Impacts on national cybersecurity posture

These operational interruptions can be detrimental to national security posture. With fewer staff working, federal agencies may respond slower to cyber incidents and threats may go undetected for a longer period of time. With staff being furloughed, scheduled patches, vulnerability assessments, and other types of security reviews and audits may have to be postponed, widening risk exposure. Lastly, the reduced collaboration between agencies during a shutdown damages threat intelligence across the federal government and limits threat detection.

Final thoughts

Government shutdowns create significant uncertainty for individuals employed by government agencies, and operationally, shutdowns increase cybersecurity risk exposure across government networks because of delays in monitoring, patching, and information sharing. Overall, the implications of a government shutdown can be concerning and efforts need to be made to ensure that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government data is preserved.

— Ben Skinner