Read more at source.
Read more at source.
Kamens' role was vital in the VA's cybersecurity framework. He was the point person for overseeing protective upgrades and services from third-party security vendors. His abrupt termination could lead to a decline in the cybersecurity practice within VA.gov, resulting in potential privacy risks for veterans.
VA.gov, referred to as the 'front door' for all VA benefits, has served over 20 million registered users in the past 12 months, resulting in more than 53 million transactions. Veterans access financial, educational, health care, and death benefits through the site. Therefore, its digital services are central to the lives of many veterans and their families.
The dismissal of Kamens is part of a larger pattern of staff cuts within the USDS. The cuts have impacted various teams, including product management, design, and procurement. Kamens was the only person from the USDS engineering team who was dismissed, possibly due to his public criticism of DOGE.
It's inevitable that the cybersecurity practice within VA.gov is going to suffer and that they are going to fall behind on what they are required to do in order to keep cybersecurity on VA.gov where it needs to be. And the result of that is it's going to get worse, and eventually it will get bad enough that there will be an incident.
