Chris Krebs

Early Life and Education

Chris Krebs was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1977. He earned a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from the University of Virginia in 1999 and a Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law in 2007.

Career

Krebs built his professional career around cybersecurity and risk management. Before entering federal service in a senior capacity, he worked in the private sector as Director for Cybersecurity Policy at Microsoft, and earlier served as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Protection.

In March 2017, Krebs joined the Department of Homeland Security as Senior Counselor to the Secretary. By August 2017, he was appointed Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection and subsequently performed the duties of Under Secretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs, a role to which he was permanently confirmed on June 15, 2018. When Congress reorganized that directorate into the newly established Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in November 2018, Krebs became the agency's first director — the administration's most senior official responsible for cybersecurity and election infrastructure security.

In 2019, Krebs was reported to be under consideration for Acting Secretary of Homeland Security following the departure of Kevin McAleenan, though he was said to be uninterested in the position.

2020 Dismissal

In the lead-up to and aftermath of the November 3, 2020 presidential election, CISA under Krebs launched a website to counter election-related disinformation. When attorney Sidney Powell alleged on Fox News programs that a secret government supercomputer had switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, Krebs publicly dismissed the claim as "nonsense" and a "hoax." On November 17, 2020, Krebs tweeted that 59 election security experts unanimously found that fraud claims were either unsubstantiated or technically incoherent. Trump fired Krebs via Twitter the same day, asserting without evidence that Krebs's statement on election security was "highly inaccurate."

In the weeks that followed, Trump campaign lawyer Joseph diGenova made threatening remarks directed at Krebs on television. Krebs responded in a Washington Post op-ed, stating he would not be intimidated from "telling the truth to the American people." On December 8, 2020, Krebs filed a civil lawsuit against diGenova, the Trump campaign, and Newsmax TV, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil conspiracy, citing a "barrage of threats and harassment" he had received. DiGenova issued an apology to Krebs in April 2021. On January 10, 2021, following the January 6 Capitol attack, Krebs publicly suggested that Trump should resign the presidency.

Private-Sector Career

Early in 2021, Krebs joined former Facebook CISO Alex Stamos to co-found Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity consultancy. The firm's first major client was SolarWinds, which had recently suffered a significant supply-chain breach. Krebs Stamos Group was acquired by cybersecurity company SentinelOne in late 2023, and Krebs continued with the company as chief intelligence and public policy officer. He resigned from SentinelOne in April 2025, citing personal reasons.

Public Policy Work

In October 2022, Krebs joined the Council for Responsible Social Media, a project launched by the nonpartisan organization Issue One to address the mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in the United States. The council was co-chaired by former House Democratic Caucus Leader Dick Gephardt and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.

Later Scrutiny

On April 9, 2025, during Trump's second presidency, an executive order revoked Krebs's security clearances and directed investigations into his conduct during his government tenure. Former colleagues characterized the order as a "personal vendetta." Krebs subsequently reported losing his Global Entry status, which he attributed to retribution by the Trump administration.